Sweet Sorrow
by ohxmyxria
Summary: AU:My breath caught in my throat. There was something about her. Who was I kidding? It was everything about her! Her soft brown locks of hair. The pale, glowing tone of her skin. But her eyes, deep pools of topaz, were what sealed Edward Masen's fate. ExB
1. A New Life

This is my first attempt at an AU. Please, criticize like there's no tomorrow.

_Just when I had given up all hope, she strolled into the room. My breath caught in my throat. There was something about her. Who was I kidding? It was everything about her! Her soft brown locks of hair. The pale, glowing tone of her skin. But her eyes, those shimmering pools of topaz, where what sealed Edward Masen's fate._

As soon as thick, ominous clouds overshadowed the sun, I knew we near our destination. Forks, Washington: a murky little city with a population no bigger then a super model's IQ. Looking out the plane window, I examined what I could from the air. Green, green, and yet more green. What a shocker there. Forks' annual rainfall was so high; I'm surprised the stupid town didn't just flood over.

I stifled a yawn, shutting the flap on the window. My mother shifted around in her seat before laying her head on the armrest. Taking the pillow from my chair, I placed it under her head. She'd been through a lot lately. See, my father died almost two years ago. Personally, I thought it served him right. Any elementary schooler could tell you smoking causes cancer. And while I didn't along with him too well, it still hurt to lose him. My mom, Elizabeth Masen, had stayed by his side that whole night, crying her eyes out. I didn't have the slightest idea what I was supposed to do. Comfort her? She had just lost the love of her life and was now a jobless, single parent of a teenager.

For a few months, she couldn't even look at me. Although Edward Masen Sr., my father, and I didn't get along, I resembled him a lot. I was just as tall as him, towering over my mother at 6'2". My auburn hair fell over my face in the same way, but his was slightly shorter and black. We even had some of the same mannerisms, such as pinching the bridge of our nose when we were stressed. But I was luckly I didn't have his eyes. My mother had adored those sapphire blue eyes of his. If my emerald green eyes were his, I knew my mom would never have looked at me ever again.

But my mother was a strong woman. During my freshman and sophomore year, she had taken the initiative to finish her college learning online. I was amazed she could do it while witnessing at a local restaurant. I was more then amazed, I was petrified. What if she couldn't do it? She hadn't been in college for over fifteen years! So I took up an after school job to help support her. Money was tight for a while. And I didn't want her to worry about me while she was still grieving yet trying to move on. My mother is one of the most amazing people I know.

She received her masters in teaching that she had abandoned all those years ago. Now that she had a steady income, we could afford to leave the flat above the Italian shop we had been living in for the past couple of years. Mom applied around for a while, but most teaching positions were filled up this late in the year. But then we got a letter from an elementary school in Forks, WA that was in dire need of a Language Arts teacher. My mom was a fan of all things literature. I knew she wanted this job badly. So I nearly forced her to think of herself for once. Mom was worrying I wouldn't like Forks, and that I would miss Chicago. Honestly, there wasn't much to miss. I had lost contact with most of my good friends at the school. I was too busy taking care of my mom, managing to keep up in school, and working at the piano shop to really stay active with my friends. At first they understood; anyone would grow distant after losing their father. But after a while, they just kept well enough away from me. Such wonderful friends. But I couldn't blame them.

Somehow, being alone felt nice. Not having to pretend I was interested in what happened during so-and-so's date with whatshername, I was able to think more. Believe it our not my grades skyrocketed. I was placed in advanced classes with upperclassmen. Since I was already an outsider to them, they too gave my space. Mom was getting worried when friends stopped coming over. Then I quit the baseball team. In fact, I started to get into fights. I never started them of course, but I be damned if I was going to let some too-cool punks jump me and push me around. But that's Chicago for you.

A voice came over the intercom to announce that was would land in the Settle airport in ten minutes and to fasten up. I gently shook Mom awake. "Mom. Mother, we're almost there. I need you to wake up for a bit. I'll drive to Forks." Her large green eyes slowly opened. I could read it in her face that she was still exhausted. She yawned quietly and turned in her seat to face me. Her copper colored hair fell elegantly down her back. Even after a fitful nap, Mom always managed to look gorgeous. She had married a bit young, only 22. I was what you'd call a 'honeymoon baby'. She ran a hand over her now-wrinkled white tank top. A man from the row beside us was watching her closely as she fixed her dark jeans. I threw him my darkest glare until he turned back to his newspaper. My mother rolled her eyes and kissed my cheek.

I was proud to say my mother had been happily single ever since my father's death. She wasn't one of those women who would jump into a new relationship because she was lonely. Or because she wanted someone who could support her. Nope, that wasn't how our small family worked. No one needed to come between us; especially not some sleazy guy who didn't give a rat's ass about us or our happiness. I liked to think of myself as a one-night-stand shield for my mother. There was no way I'd let someone take advantage of her. I'm all she's got.

The plane slowly dipped down. Within a few minutes, we had landed. The passengers chatted happily as we waited to be released row by row. My mother was really excited about her new job. We both started school the day after tomorrow. This place was so tiny; they only had one high school. Yes, you guessed it: Forks High School. Real catchy name. I'd visited the school already when had started to move our things into the new house. It looked like an old town hall that was reconstructed. My old school had eight times as many students then this one did. And since this town just loves to torture me further, there was no advanced placement program. I'd be stuck with the rest of the junior class going over things I learned in freshman year. Oh joy. Can you sense the sarcasm?

Mom went to the desk to get our rental car while I found out luggage. By the time I made it back to the front desk, my mom was snoring on the counter, the keys in her hands. The airport assistant smirked at me as I tried to shake her awake. Sighing, I lifted two of the bags over my shoulder. With my arms now free, I picked my mother up bridal style, dragging the rolling suitcase behind me. Luckily, the car wasn't too far away. I secured my mom in the passenger seat of the Civic, and then stored the luggage in the trunk. Most of our things were already at the house fortunately.

This car drove very smoothly, purring as I pushed the car faster. I liked to drive fast, but Mom always freaked out when I did. But with her safely in dreamland, I sped at a comfortable 7o miles per hour. We made it into Forks in record time. I assume night had fallen; it was rather hard to tell when you couldn't see the sun or the moon. I pulled up to our new home around 9. It was a two-story house, but a bit small. Two bedrooms, one bath. I just hoped she wouldn't leave anything in said one bathroom that would scar me for life. Finding the keys to the house in her purse, I carried my mother into the house.

Boxes upon boxes pilled up around the walls. I located my room, the second door on the right once you reached the landing upstairs. My boxes were piled everywhere. But I had thought ahead and had left a blanket out for when we came. I spread it our, laying Mom on top of it. She rolled over as I tucked her into the covers. I kissed her forehead and headed downstairs to unpack a bit.

I decided to start in the kitchen so I could make breakfast tomorrow. Most of the pans I needed were in the first two boxes. Next came the smaller appliances. The last three boxes that were marked 'Kitchen' were filled with cups, plates, utensils, and wrapped up china. Now that everything was shoved away in the cabinets, I decided to move on to the bathroom. There were only two boxes of cleaning supplies and numerous hair products. They too were shoved away.

I went back to my room now. Mom was still asleep, so I tried to be as quiet as possible. The only furniture in here was a small dresser and a lamp that were both shoved in a corner. I moved most of the boxes into that area as well. I dug out my CD player and another blanket. I wrapped myself firmly in it, and then hit play on the CD as I leaned against the wall. A classical song was the first track. _Claire de Lune_, a favorite of mine from Debussy. Music was a passion mine. At the piano shop I worked at, I often played during my break. When my fingers slid confidently across the keys, I could almost feel all my troubles lifting from my soul. But listening worked just as well. I slowly closed my eyes to the magnificent melody, letting my dreams take me away.

I had the most peculiar dream. It was one of those dreams were you just know it's fake, but there's nothing you can do about it but to chant 'it's not real, it's not real' over and over.

_I watched from above as a dark haired man walked hand in hand with a beautiful woman. A young boy with a shock of bronze hair sat on his shoulders, hugging the man around his neck. The woman smiled widely as the boy released the man's neck and tugged at her hand. His small watery green eyes matched her radiant ones in delight. The man scooped the young boy off his back and into his arms, swinging his around. The boy pounded his small fists into the man's chest, but laughed happily. He jumped away from his father, hugging his mother tightly around her legs. But when he turned his face to beam at the man, he was gone. In a puff of smoke, the man had disappeared. "Father?" The child called, panicked. "Father!" His wide eyes turned up to his mother. Her eyes were firmly shut, tears streaming down them at full force. "Mother, why are you crying? Where has Father gone off to?" But the woman raced away, sobbing. "He's gone! He's left us for good!" She screamed before she too disappeared. _

_The boy crumbled into a ball, weeping. But suddenly, a pale hand reached out to him. He buried his head deeper into his body. A beautiful young girl stepped out of the shadows. Her skin nearly glowed, pale as the moon, and flawlessly smooth. Her long light brown hair floated around her, her curved bangs covering her face as she looked down at the boy. Her hands cupped under his chin, making him look up at her. Without a word, the boy bounded up, wrapping his arms around her. He inched his lips up to meet hers, but then darkness shrouded everything._

I grasped hazardously as my body shot up. My hand pressed over my face as I tried to remember the dream. Everything was a blur in my mind. A young boy, a woman sobbing, and… a lovely girl with full lips. With a sigh, I yanked off the headphones and freed myself from the blanket.

My mother lay sprawled across the floor, her blanket forgotten beside her. I fought a grin as he tossed it back over her. I stumbled down the stairs and into the kitchen. I dug through the cabinets and refrigerator to find the materials necessary for food. There was just enough eggs and milk for omelets. I pulled out the cheese and sausage as well. While I preferred a plain cheese omelet, I knew Mom wanted it with some meat. I had just finished mixing the ingredients when she skipped over to me. "Morning Mom. Jetlag got you down?" I teased.

Mom lightly smacked my shoulder. "Don't mock your mother, Edward Anthony." She kissed my cheek. "You unpacked?" She asked, gesturing to the cups in the cabinets.

I flipped the omelet as I spoke. "Not really. Just the things in here and in the bathroom. I didn't want to wake you so I decided to hold of on my room." She brought a plate over to me as I slid the food out of the pan. "You sure were knocked out when I came with the luggage. The girl behind the counter was nearly in tears from laughing. But honestly, how many people just up and fall asleep when getting a rental car?" I snickered as I flipped the second omelet.

My mother turned pink. "I fell asleep at the airport?" She laid her head on the table when I nodded. "Well that's embarrassing. All those people must have been staring…"

"It was even worse when they saw a teenager carrying you, and all our luggage I might add, into the rental." The second omelet was pushed onto another plate. I shut off the oven top and placed the frying pan under the cool water. Then I shut off the water and join Mom at the table. She spayed liberal amounts of ketchup on the side of her plate.

She took a bite and glared at me. "You could have woken me up, Mr. Smartie."

I laughed. "Believe me, I tried. You were knocked out, mother. I doubt an earthquake could have woken you up. You didn't even notice my driving, a first I might mention-"

Her eyes narrowed. "Edward Anthony Masen! Were you speeding again? How many times do I have to tell you! Is it too hard to just mind the speed limit?" Mom purred her lips as I rolled my eyes. "Teenagers…" She mumbled darkly as she took another bite.

I chugged down the rest of my food and moved to the sink to wash off my dish. "So when are those guys coming with the furniture?" I asked as I scrubbed off the frying pan.

"Um… I think they said two."

I looked up at the microwave clock. It read 1:43. "Then they should be here any minute." I rinsed off my plate. I took my mom's off the table too. Mom raced upstairs to get dressed before the movers came. I opted to take a walk around the neighborhood instead.

The sky looked a bit dreary and bleak. How was I ever going to get used to the gray color? I sighed and lay back on the lawn. I wonder when Jake will stop by? Jacob Black and I had been good friends since we were kids. He lived just a bit away from here, on the La Push grounds. Our dads had known each other since they went to high school together. Jake and me hadn't talked often in the past few years though. Mostly him asking how I was coping with my dad being gone and bragging about how far along his Volkswagen Rabbit was coming along. That's what mostly tied us together: cars. He loves them almost as much as I do. But he was more into fixing them up while I love driving them.

I sat up as the furniture van pulled up. Two guys in gray matching jumpsuits started to unload the van. Mom waited for them at the door to show them where to put everything. I scowled as one of them winked at her.

They were fast. In a matter of two hours the van was empty. I pushed past them to get inside, coming between one who was handing Mom a little piece of paper. She blushed and glowered after me. Quite obviously, I was going to get an earful once these guys left.

I walked up the stairs and entered my room. A black bed was now here along with a black computer desk, chair, and TV. I shifted through my boxes until I found one of the three belonging only to my CD collection. I put it in the stereo and turned the volume up. I heard someone coming up the stairs. It didn't take a genius to figure out who it was and what she wanted. Mom pushed open the door and folded her arms.

Before she could say anything, I cut her off. "I'm sorry, Mom. I shouldn't have been so rude to that guy." I chanted dully, not turning to face her. I traced the cords coming out off my stereo. She came a little closer to me, sitting beside me. I closed my eyes, pretending to concentrate on the music.

My mother wrapped her arm around my shoulder, hugging me close to her. "Look sweetie, I know this move hasn't been easy on either of us. Don't think I can't see past your cool façade. This is going to be trying enough for the two off us. Please, just cut me some slack." She whispered into my shoulder.

I sighed, patting her back. She was never fooled. I supposed my 'cool façade' was yet another thing I had inherited from my father. "I'm sorry, Mother." I said again. I slouched my shoulders. "It's just… I know you've been through a lot these past few years. I'm just trying to make it easier."

"Oh Edward. Nothing can make this easy. But I know you've been through just as much." She sniffled, holding back tears. "And I also knew I'm not the one you'll open up to. You will need to open up to someone, however. Bottling up your feelings will only hurt you more." Mom squeezed my shoulder and stood up to leave.

I fell on my back when the door shut. My eyes closed as I analyzed what my mother had said. She had hit the nail on the head. Yes, I was disregarding my feeling about this whole thing. But that's just the type of person I am. My pain is my pain; no one else should have to bare the blunt of it. I was doubtful I would ever find someone who I trusted enough to spill my guts out too. The very idea of it was ridiculous. I was emotionally detached from most people, save my mother. If you give someone your heart, you're only begging for him or her to rip it to shreds. So I was a naturally guarded person. Most people knew better then to try to get close to me.

But was my mom right about keeping my feelings inside? Was it unhealthy? If so, that meant I seriously needed to change my ways. Start all over, if you will. And what a better way to start over then a new school with a clean slate? But after years of hardening my heart, I knew it wouldn't be an easy task.

I lost myself to my pondering. I went downstairs to see my mom had left; her note said she was grocery shopping and she'd be home later. I found a can of spaghetti O's. Yum. It took no time for the food to heat up. I shuffled into the living room to eat. The sofa was brand new with matching armchairs and side tables. I flicked on the TV to distract myself. Some stupid kid's show was on, but I watched it anyway. My mom came home about an hour later, laden with food. We packed the food away as she told me about the people she met. Apparently we were the hot gossip of the quaint little town. Just super. I could just hear the whispering student body now.

After a dinner consisting of snack cakes, I headed to my room. I spent the next hour unpacking my CDs, books, clothes, and random things. My CD collection occupied three fourths of my shelves, leaving the books with only the bottom space. While I'm not as much of a book fanatic as my mother, I have read my fair share. Although it was early, I decided to crash now. Mom was lending me the rental car for the first week. After that, I was most likely going to have to get my own car. Jake could help with that. I bid my mother a good night and shut off my lights. But it was a few hours before my eyelids finally stayed shut.


	2. Enter Fair Juiliet Stage Left

Please be kind.

I was not in the best of moods. The electricity had been cut off in my room late last night, so my alarm clock never went off. I woke up instead to my mother shaking me awake at 6:30. Unless I could get ready quickly, I would be late for my very first day of school. So I dashed into the shower and dressed as fast as possible. I grabbed a breakfast bar and dashed out the door. My mom had caught a ride to the elementary school with a fellow teacher. Thanks to my speeding, I made it to school with a few minutes to spare.

Once I had parked, I realized I had no idea where I was supposed to go. The office was a good start, so I headed over there. The first bell rang as I walked in the front door. A kind looking woman with frizzy red hair sat behind the counter. I exhaled and walked up to her.

"Excuse me ma'am." Her eyes lit up as I smiled, trying to be as charming as possible. "Today is my first day here and I just realized I have no idea where I'm supposed to be." I chuckled. "My name is Edward Masen."

The woman, I saw her nameplate said 'Ms. Cope', giggled. "As yes. It's a good thing you came here, Mr. Masen. I have your schedule right here." She smiled shyly, handing it to me. "I can direct you to your next class if you'd like. Or I can ask one of the aides here to do it." She amended quickly, reddening slightly.

As I looked over my classes, a girl was long blond hair came up behind her. I had an awkward feeling that she wasn't thinking the most innocent of thoughts right now. Something about the way she was looking at me gave me the creeps. "Well hello. The name's Lauren." She smiled what she must have thought was an attractive smile. However it just made me feel uneasy.

I shook my head. "No, that's okay. I've toured the campus before. The English building isn't too far away. But thank you." I added at her crestfallen expression.

As I turned to leave, Ms. Cope called back to me. "Oh! I had nearly forgot! You need to get all of your teachers to sign this today, Mr. Masen." I accepted the slip of paper with another smile. She blushed again. "A-and don't forget you need to return that directly to me today. So I'll see you after school."

"Thank you, Ms. Cope." I waved at Lauren politely. She giggled. I rushed out of the room feeling uncomfortable again.

I followed a group of students to a brick building with a large, black number 3 on the outside. I ducked into the assigned room as the bell rang. Every eye in the classroom watched me as I walked to the teacher's desk. She looked up at me with a kind smile. "Mr. Masen, I take it?" I nodded and handed her the slip. "Would you like to introduce yourself while I sign this?" She waved her hand towards the other students.

I sighed. "Okay. My name is Edward Masen. I moved here from central Chicago. Um… my mother got a job at the elementary school. So, yeah." I looked back at the teacher. She handed the paper and motioned for me to take the empty seat near the back of the room. I tried to ignore the constant whispers as I took the last desk.

A girl with milky gold eyes and short black smiled at me. I returned the gesture. Unlike that Lauren girl's grin, this one seemed kind and sincere. "Hello Edward Masen." I could feel my mouth hanging open slightly. Her voice was musical, almost as if she was about to break out in song. She laughed quietly. "My name is Alice Cullen. I was a new kid in freshman year. Don't worry; the staring will pass. Eventually."

I nodded. "I should hope so." I grumbled as another girl turned in her seat noticeably to gape at me. She had brown, curly hair and was sort of short. Granted, not as short as Alice, but still short. When she noticed I was watching her back, she winked and turned back to face the teacher. I shivered violently. My new friend covered her mouth with her hand, trying and failing to hide her laughter at my expense. I felt my face heat up, but kept my attention on the lesson.

As I has expected, it was a boring class. I found it hard to understand how students at the junior level were only just now discussing Shakespeare. I had already done the _Midsummer's Night Dream, Macbeth, Hamlet_, _The Taming of the Shrew,_ and _King Leer_ units. And naturally, I could recite _Romeo and Juliet_ backwards from memory. I groaned quietly and rested my head on my elbow as the teacher explained Shakespeare's use of dramatic irony in his plays.

Alice raised an eyebrow as I stared off into space. "What's with you? This stuff boring you already?" She herself was doodling on a blank piece of paper.

I smirked and pointed to her paper. "Like you are one to talk." I drummed my fingers on the desk. "I've already learned this stuff. We covered it in freshman year at my old school." I admitted.

Alice yawned. "Yeah, I know what you mean. I've heard these things it's so often, I almost feel like I could teach it better then she does." She mirrored my grin. "'O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?' First lesson: Juliet was a bit crazy and was talking to herself. I mean, who does that?"

I was having a hard time trying not to burst out laughing. "True enough. Second lesson: Romeo was a jerk. What kind of guy is madly in love with Rosaline, then jumps ship a few seconds later to marry a 14-year-old girl?" We laughed quietly as the sheer stupidity of the star-crossed lovers. I could sense a deep friendship growing with this girl.

The bell rang a few minutes later. "Tomorrow we will discuss the affections of love verses lust!" Alice and I cracked up again as the teacher called the lesson plans out after her class. We gathered our things slowly.

"So what's your next class?"

I pulled out my class list again. "Uh… French with Madame LaRue. Foreign Language hall, building 7." At least that class might be fun; I'd only taken Spanish at my old school. I looked up at her. "What do you have?"

She shook her head. "Gym. Oh joy." We turned and started out the door. But the curly haired girl from before stopped in front of us. Alice had whispered her name was Jessica Stanley, the gossip queen of Forks. Alice looked away so Jessica wouldn't see her laughing.

The girl flipped her hair. "Hi there. I noticed you looking at me during class." She giggled. "My name's Jess. It's very nice to meet you." 'Jess' tilted her head a little forward to watch me through her eyelashes.

"Right. Nice to meet you too Jessica." She reminded me of the Lauren girl from the office. "Well, I have to get going to French."

Jessica hopped on the balls of her feet. "Ohh! That's my next class too! I could walk you." She offered with a flirty smile. I glared at Alice for help.

Alice elbowed me lightly. "Actually, I was going to show him how to get there. Thanks for offering though." The smaller girl hugged my arm tightly, dragging me out of the room. Jessica shot daggers at us before storming away.

Once in the hall, we really did burst out laughing. "Okay, I owe you big time, Alice Cullen!" She waved a finger at me.

"Ah ah! No way. It's the least I could do for my new friend. Besides, I wouldn't wish Jessica Stanley and her over the top flirting on anyone."

I shivered again. "She's just as bad as that Lauren girl."

"Oh, you ran into her too?" I explained how she had tried to flirt with me in the office. "Sheesh Edward. First day here and already breaking hearts." Her golden eyes brightened as she mocked me. We finally reached the F.L. building.

I shiftily looked around a few times. "Okay Alice, the coast is clear. No Jessica in sight!" I offered her a low high five. She slapped my hand with more force then I would have thought possible from the tiny girl.

"Mission accomplished!" She turned around to skip to class, but called to me over her shoulder. "Hey, come sit with my family at lunch, okay? I'll save you a seat!" She waved before hurrying off.

"Thanks!" I called after the retreating Alice. Then I walked into the classroom. Madame LaRue waved me back to her desk. She signed my sheet and told me to sit anywhere.

Jessica sought me out immediately as she walked through the door. She dragged me to a table she shared with some blond guy named Mike Newton; the guy from my English class, Ben Cheney; and a quite girl named Angela Webber. Angela smiled at me and asked how I was my fist day going. I told her honestly that it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.

Jessica clung to my side like she was permanently glued there. But I noticed she was constantly throwing Mike flashed grins. That's when I understood she was using me to make Mike jealous. That relieved me; I was just a tool to make Mike envious. And for some reason it was working. Newton refused to speak to me or even acknowledge my existence.

Despite the awkwardness of Jessica and Mike's company, I found this class enjoyable. The teacher was nice and the class was a bit of a challenge. I pulled out my schedule again. Next was Geography, building 8. At least it's close by. Ben looked over my classes, informing me he had both Geography and Biology me, as did Angela.

The next few periods were boring. Each teacher made me stand up in front of the class and introduce myself. I was starting to recognize some of the faces. Sadly, Alice wasn't in anymore of my classes. Even sadder, Lauren was in both Geography and Musical Instruction that followed the next period. While not as clingy as Jessica, she was just as annoying and even more vain. I only focused on the ceiling and pretended to be interested in some scandal involving a girl named Samantha and this guy Lee. Lauren also seemed resilient. Surely she must have seen I wasn't listening, but that didn't stop her at all. I was actually excited when the bell rang announcing it was time for Calculus.

Most of the students in this class were seniors. This was the one class I had absolutely insisted on. There was no way I going to go to Trigonometry again. I took the empty seat beside a pale blond guy in the back row once my slip was signed. He glared at me from the corner of his eye. Then suddenly, his eyes shifted to a darker color. I blinked a few times. Must have been a trick of the light. But I still dragged my chair as far away from him as possible. Most of the class passed like that: he glared at me from slit like eyes while I stared at the board, taking notes.

Once class ended, he shot out of the room faster then I would have thought probable. I shook my head. I had to be out of it. I went to my locker, shoving my books in. Then I headed to the lunch building. Thanks to my lack of breakfast, I was starved.

I had barely taken a step in when Alice grabbed my arm, yanking me into the lunch line. I laughed once I gained back use of my legs. "Wow, you must be hungry."

She grinned up at me. "Not really. But you are, right?"

"Uh, yes. I am." I raised an eyebrow at her. But she changed the subject.

"So how was French?" She asked innocently, making me shove her lightly.

Once we had gathered some food, she pulled me to a table in the back of the cafeteria. A breathtaking blond girl was already sitting there. It was obvious that she didn't look a think like Alice, but something about her face seemed familiar. Perhaps it was just those same honey colored eyes. But she had the same pale face and striking features.

Alice pulled me into the chair beside her, across from the blond. "Edward Masen, this is one of my sisters, Rosalie Hale." Rosalie turned her head to look at me, apparently apprising me. She sniffed lightly.

Alice's eyes narrowed, but she turned to me, ignoring her sister. "And yeah I know, we look nothing alike. Dr. Cullen and his wife adopted us all. None of us are related, so it's sort of like living with a bunch of roommates. But Rose here has a twin brother who also lives with us, Jasper Hale." She smiled lightly. "He's kind of my boyfriend."

I nodded. I had figured she had a boyfriend. A girl that stunning had to be hooked up. "But… isn't he your brother, too?" I asked, a bit confused. She's dating her brother?

She laughed while Rosalie played with her hair. "We aren't actually related. Rosalie and Jasper are Mrs. Cullen's niece and nephew. Me, Emmett, and Bella are just extras, if you will. They adopted us a few years ago, so we like to think of ourselves like a family." She spit her tongue out at Rosalie. "Sometimes we even fight like siblings."

Rosalie chuckled. "Aren't you just adorable, little sister?" Her voice was beautiful like Alice's but tainted with her mocking tone. She flipped her hair. "Do the others know your new friend is joining us?" She asked quietly.

Alice reached over to pinch Rosalie's cheek. Her sister slapped the hand away immediately. "Don't worry Rosie. Everything will be fine. I'm sure of it." She looked up at me then turned her vision towards the lunch line. "Oh, here comes Jasper and Emmett." I looked up.

One of them was huge. He had dark brown hair and those same eyes. However, his seemed a bit darker. He was tall, taller then me by a good two inches at least. He looked at me questioningly, but then turned to Rosalie.

"Don't look now, but things are going to get mushy over there." Alice murmured as the big guy ducked into his seat next to Rosalie. Before I could ask what she meant by 'mushy', Rosalie and the guy started to kiss. No, make out. It was almost aggressive, in a way. Did they not realize this was in full view of the whole lunchroom? Alice coughed lowly, trying to hide her grin. It seemed this guy, he had to be Emmett, was also together with his sister. Well, adoptive sister.

Then I turned back to face the other guy. Jasper Hale: Rosalie's twin brother, Alice's boyfriend. And my table partner in Calculus. His dark eyes glared at me fiercely.

"What is this guy doing here, Alice?" His voice was similar to the other two's, but deeper. And angry. _Very_ angry.

For some reason, an unknown fury seemed to be invading me. Who the heck was this guy to be pissed off with me when I didn't do anything to him? I wasn't in the mood to take his shit. I was just about to stand up and tell him so when Alice tightly grabbed my arm.

"Jazz, calm down. You should know better then to get so angry." She scolded. Jasper closed his eyes, breathing in and out deeply. "This is Edward Masen. He's new here." She softly informed him. Alice beamed up at Jasper as he opened his eyes. He walked around me without a word, taking the seat on Alice's other side. Instantly, my rage faded. That was strange. What was I so angry about? For some reason, I couldn't remember.

Emmett had finally released Rosalie. He was watching me carefully. "So the name's Edward, huh?" His eyes flicked from me to his sister.

"Yes." I smiled. "I'm in Alice's English class. We spent the better part of the period discussing the flaws in the education system." Alice chuckled.

Jasper wrapped his hand in Alice's. She smiled, but then frowned suddenly. Her wide eyes scanned the cafeteria. "Hey, where's Bella?"

Rosalie shrugged her shoulders. "Perhaps she's skipping?" The blond girl nuzzled her head against her boyfriend's neck. "Then again, she could just be cooling off in the M3. She's been acting quite oddly today. More agitated then usual."

Alice nodded solemnly. "Yeah, I've noticed too. But I have a good feeling about what it is…" Her eyes once again jumped up to me. But they dashed back to her food so suddenly; I thought I must have imagined it.

Emmett seemed worried for a second. "I'm sure it's nothing. If it was bad, she would have came to us. Anyway, how you holding up? Forks isn't the most interesting place in the world." He grinned.

I rolled my eyes. "Well, it's been better then expected. The classes aren't too bad. So far only a few people have been obnoxious." Alice and I both turned our heads towards the table nearest the door. There sat Jessica and Lauren amidst a pack of their followers. The blond girl caught my eye and smiled widely. Jessica glared at her friend. I could see her mouthing off her friend. Lauren smugly replied something back and shook her hair around her. I glared at them openly before turning back to the Cullen/Hale family.

Alice tilted her hair back to stare at the roof. "Oh boy do you have your hands full with those two." She and her brother laughed.

"Don't I know it." I muttered darkly, chugging the remains of my soda. "Even worse, they are both in at least two of my classes so far."

Alice propped her head up on the table with her arm. "Anyone else in your classes that you know?"

I thought about it. "That Ben Cheney is in a few and Angela Webber was in French." I shrugged. "And Jasper is in my Calculus class."

Alice's eyes narrowed. "He is?"

"Yes. We sit at the same desk."

She glared at her boyfriend in response. "Huh." Jasper just turned his head away and acted as if he had lost interest in the conversation. Great, another Mike. So far I could mark down two people who already didn't like me. And of course, they didn't like me because of their girlfriends. So predictable.

I shifted my attention around the cafeteria. Most people were deep in talk. Every once and a while I would catch them looking in our direction. I should have figured I was still the hot gossip. I vaguely wondered how long it would take for them to get bored of talking about me. But then something else caught my attention. No, someone else.

An enchanting young woman with long, billowing brown hair that drifted behind her was walking towards our table. She had a very graceful way of walking. It was almost as if she was floating. She was extremely pale, as if she had not just never seen sunlight, but had been born of moonlight instead. She was a small girl, but taller then Alice and Jessica. She wore a simple pair of faded jeans and a light pink polo shirt. The dull clothes were an insult to her perfect figure. But I took in the details of her outfit only briefly. Because the moment I looked at her, I was drawn into her eyes. They were more or less the same color as the others: a goldenrod shade. But hers were more vivid, deeper. The topaz color on the surface merely was a tool to look into her soul. I had the feeling that if I was to stare into the endless pool of butterscotch, I could fall in and never come out. Yet I was okay with this, if only to have the chance to gaze into her beautiful face just once.

Only then did I realize that I was gawking at this girl. And right in front of her family. She paused upon seeing me, but didn't say a word to me. "Alice." God, was it even possible for a voice to sound so heavenly? I mentally made a note to try to see if there was a key on the piano that could sound so breathtaking.

"Alice," the angel repeated. "I'm not in the mood to be here today. I'm actually feeling a bit ill." She smiled slightly. It was more then enough to make my heart stop. "But thanks to Banner, I have a test in Biology next period, so I'm sticking around. Sorry to have worried you." She kissed Alice on the cheek and nodded at Jasper. His face softened a bit.

The small girl positively beamed at her sister. "It's okay Bella. I'm just glad to see you didn't take Rosalie's car and leave us all here." She waved. "Now, take care of yourself." The brunette rolled her eyes but kept her smile. Then she turned on her heel and floated out of the lunchroom. I couldn't help but to stare after her.

"She's very pretty isn't she?" Alice was staring at me. Wow, had my staring really been so noticeable? I flushed slightly and glared across the room. But Alice laughed. I could almost hear the wheels turning in her head, trying to find a way to hook me up with her sister. And although I'd rather eat my own kidney then admit it, I was secretly hoping one of her schemes would work.

The lunch bell rang loudly. Everyone stood up from there seats to head to 6th period. I pulled out my schedulable from my pocket to look at it again. Butterflies rammed against the insides on my body. I had to fight down my emotions furiously before Alice could see my smile. _6__th__ period-- Building 2, Mr. Banner. Biology._


	3. The Tainted Angel

Reivews, perchance? Just a thought…

How I made it to the Biology building without falling flat on my face was beyond me. I was barely even aware that my legs were even moving; they felt like jelly. All I knew was one second Alice was giving my hand a knowing squeeze before she hurried to Spanish and the next thing I knew I was handing my slip to Mr. Banner. He handed it back to m and directed me to an empty lab table. Perfect. Now I wouldn't have to worry about a nosy partner annoying me with senseless questions. Even better, now if that stunning girl was in my class, I could focus better on watching her.

Angela waved at me as I passed the desk she shared with Ben to go to my own. Ben smirked and muttered "lucky dog" under his breath. Lucky? Because I sat at the empty desk? What did that mean? Mike's death glare intensified as I sat at my stool. The phase 'if looks could kill' came to mind. His desk was to the left of mine, and thankfully separated by a wide berth.

I folded the signed slip into my pocket to keep my class schedule company. But my face fell as I searched through the faces in the room. She wasn't here. Did she leave early? The butterflies in the pit of my stomach abruptly died. Perhaps I had misheard her and she had a different Biology class this period. My nails started to dig into the palm of my hand as I stared at the clock. She still had a minute to get here. The clock's hands slowly ticked forward. That clock has to be wrong! She must need more time to get here. Have some pity, she's sick! Oh god, was I yelling at a clock?

Just when I had given up all hope, she strolled into the room. My breath caught in my throat. There was something about her. Who was I kidding? It was everything about her! Her soft brown locks of hair. The pale, glowing tone of her skin. But her eyes, those shimmering pools of topaz, where what sealed my fate.

She smiled slightly again as the bell rang a split second later. She froze half way into her first step into the rows. Her eyes narrowed and her head spun toward my table. No, she was glaring directly at me. I suddenly realized this table wasn't always empty. Was that why she was so angry? She inhaled sharply, her chest rising visibly. She shook her head, making her hair fly around her. With a determined look, she stormed into the stool beside me. Without a word, she slammed her books on the table.

Mr. Banner looked up from his book, distracted by the noise. "Oh, the bell has rung? Okay, I guess it's time to start class." He regrettably closed his novel. "First things first, we have a new student. Mr. Masen, would you like to introduce yourself to the class?" Several heads turned to look at me. I sat up in my seat.

"My name's Edward Masen. We moved here from Chicago because my mother was offered a teaching job at the elementary school." I chanted. At least four of my teachers had asked my to introduce myself already today. Most of the students had already heard this as I had them in a previous class. A few girls looked disappointed that they didn't learn anything new. Must have been looking for something new to spread around the school. I shrugged at Mr. Banner to show I was done.

He nodded. "Okay. Well, today we have a test going around on the integument system. Uhh. I don't know. How far did you get in the biology books in your old school? I don't want to give you this test if you're not ready for it…"

I resisted the urge to laugh. "We were well past the systems of the body." I became aware that a certain pair of topaz eyes was watching me from my right. Wait, she was watching me? I lost my train of thought, turning my head slightly to look back at her. Her eyes were no longer angry, but instead curious. Upon seeing I had caught her staring, her eyes widened and she turned away. That was strange. I knew my face was flushed again.

Mr. Banner cleared his throat. I focused my face back to him. "Well… I'll give you the test too. But if you don't do well, I won't count it against you. But this is a onetime thing, Mr. Masen." He stood up and started to pass out the tests to groans from my classmates.

As I tried to pluck up the courage to start a conversation with her, the angel rose from her seat, hand in the air. "Mr. Banner?" Her melodic voice graced the room. The teacher promptly dropped all of his papers to the floor. He cursed quietly, getting to the floor to gather them, his face red as a tomato.

"Y-yes, Ms. Cullen?" He asked from the floor.

She shook her hair to create a veil between her and me. "Mr. Banner, would it be at all possible to have his seat moved?" She pointed at me suddenly.

Everyone turned to stare at us. I was in shock. Did she seriously just ask to have me moved? Did she hate me that much already? Mr. Banner seemed as much in shock. "Really, Ms. Cullen? Is something wrong? Do you have a problem with Mr. Masen?" He straightened up to look at me. Every male in the room smirked at her discontent for me.

Bella huffed out angrily. "I just don't want to sit next to him, that's all." She coldly responded. I felt the heat rush to my face. Could she be anymore rude? I stood up in my seat too.

"Sheesh, what's your problem with me? I haven't said two words to you!" I glared at her the best I could, especially considering how cute she looked when she was angry. But now wasn't the time for that.

She shot me an icy glare. "Not the point." She mumbled. "Mr. Banner, I don't need a lab partner anyway. You know I do very well in this class." She sweetly added. Mr. Banner nodded fiercely, very red in the face. "Then why not pair him up with someone else? He might need to be caught up."

He seemed to be considering that. "B-but everywhere else is full up. Yours is the only table with only one person." He pointed out.

She rolled her eyes. "Can't he work in a lab trio? What do you think, Mr. Banner?" She smiled brightly.

But I was getting tired of them speaking about this as if I wasn't there. "If you had listened before," I interjected. "Then you would remember that I've already taken this course. I don't need to 'catch up', Ms. Cullen." Why was she being so difficult? And why did she have to be so adorable? Damn it, I couldn't managed to be properly upset with her when her every move makes me want to lean in and kiss her. Wow, I have to squish that train of thought right this second. She's trying to get me away from her. Now was not the time to be imagining her in my arms.

"Why can't you just leave me alone?" Her eyes lit up suddenly. But then they darkened,

"What are you talking about? I just met you!" Leave her alone? Had I really been bothering her that much?

She turned her body away from me to look as Mr. Banner with regretful eyes. But then Bella's snapped her head up to look at him. It looked like she was going to cry. "Mr. Banner…" Her voice was soft and full of sadness. "He's been bothering me. Um… in a way that is not okay." She locked her fingers together. "I really need to be moved. I… I think he's been sexually harassing me!" She squeaked out before burring her face in her tiny hands.

A moment of silence.

"What!?" Now Mike was out of his seat too. He was furious. "Bella, has he tried to touch you!?"

Mr. Banner looked just as livid. "Mr. Masen! Have you been sexually harassing Ms. Cullen!?"

I stared at her, my mouth hanging open in shock. WHAT? "What are you talking about?! I just met you! I've never come near you!" I turned away from her to shout at Mr. Banner. "She's lying! I swear!"

But Mr. Banner was already calling the office. "Yeah, Shelly? I need to get the principal out of his meeting. Now! And the guidance counselors, too, I guess. No, this is some new kid. Huh? Yeah, him. He's been sexually harassing Ms. Isabella Cullen. First let's get him down there. Yeah, we'll call the parents after that. Thanks." He hung up. He pointed at me. "Masen, go to the principals office. Now." His voice softened. "Don't cry, Ms. Cullen. We'll get this all worked out. He'll never hurt you again." He walked back to our desk. "I said go, Masen. Ms. Cullen and I will join you shortly. Don't even think of running for it."

I was about to argue more when there was a knock on the door. Little Alice ducked her head into the room. "Mr. Banner? Me and my brother were sent to pick both Edward Masen and our sister up to escort to the office." She didn't look at me once. Her eyes were glued to her sister. I lowered both of my arms. Now I had lost my only friend too.

I sighed and picked up my backpack. I wasn't going to fight them. I simply had to hope that the principal believed me. But after seeing how Mr. Banner and even my new friend Alice had reacted, I wasn't hopeful. What in the world was my mother going to say? I cringed inwardly.

Mr. Banner nodded. "You brought your brother? Emmett Cullen, right?" I could sense the relief in his voice; there was no way I'd be able to get away from him. That is, if he wouldn't kill me with his bare hands before we even got to the office.

Alice dashed into the room, her arms firmly around her sister's waist. The two girls exited the room before I did. As I was about to follow them, I felt a sharp pain in my right arm. Someone had thrown the biology textbook at me. I looked back to see Mike grinning from ear to ear. Mr. Banner smiled slightly, but pretended not to see it. "Get going, Masen." The teacher growled.

I shook my head and walked out off the door. Emmett was leaning against the door waiting for me. He shut it quickly and was at my side an instant later. I just started at the floor as we walked. I wasn't going to bother defending myself. These were Bella's brother and sister. They would believe her no problem. Alice looked over her should once at me, but I avoided her eyes.

After a minute or two, the girls stopped. So did Emmett and I. I knew we could be at the office yet, so I could only think Bella's large brother was going to beat the tar out of me. But Alice surprised me by turning to her sister and smacking her across the face. From the loud sound of impact it made, I knew she had hit her hard.

"Alice!" Bella spat out. "What was that for?"

"You know very well what that was for, Isabella Marie Swan Cullen!" Bella took a step back at her sister's razor sharp tone. "What were you thinking?! He would have been expelled! Maybe even have criminal charges!" Alice charged into her sister's face. Emmett jumped forward to hold his smaller sister off. But Alice still fought at it. "That was a stupid way to handle this situation, Bella! Getting rid of the problem! It's just as bad as if you had-"

"Enough Alice!" Bella was shaking. She wrapped her arms around her body, turning away from her diminutive sister. After a few minutes, she spoke again. "Well, we can't do anything about it now. The deed is done. Like you said, he'll be expelled. And that will be the end of that. Unless you'd prefer… the other way. Just giving in." She retorted.

Alice struggled against Emmett's grip. "Or you could change him. Ever thought of that, Isabella?"

I was completely lost. "Would anyone mind explaining things to me?" I growled, glaring at the office building about 100 feet away. "Are you planning on getting me expelled or not already?" I bitter asked. It didn't matter at this point. I was screwed now.

Bella ignored me. "Alice, just get him out of here. I can't… he-he isn't safe." She fell to the ground, her face once again in her hands. "I can't stop… " I could see her body shaking. She held her hand over her mouth, but not before a dry sob tore from her mouth. Her long hair fell over her face, hiding it from view.

I hesitated slightly, not sure if what I was doing was smart. But I could hardly just stand here. So I stooped down beside her and pet her back. She flinched slightly, but then relaxed under my touch. I wasn't quite sure why I was trying to comfort her. She was only feeling remorse about trying to get me expelled because she got caught. But… I couldn't stand to see her so upset. Was it wrong to think of this girl still as an angel? To still want to see her smile? Yes, it was very wrong. Perhaps even stupid beyond all belief. But that didn't stop it from being true.

She shook her head. "Please… "She whimpered. "Just… just go away."

"Come now. I hardly think that's fair." I turned her face up to mine. Her lovely topaz eyes had darkened considerably. I knew I hadn't imagined it this time; not after the length of time I had spent staring into those entrancing orbs. "You haven't even told me how you could have grown to hate so far as to want me expelled after one day." I chuckled in ill humor. "Not even. I believe it had been just twenty short minutes."

Bella's eyes were near black now. She must have realized I was staring into them for she shut them suddenly. "W-would you believe me if I said I only did it because I care?" She bit her lower lip, now turning her face to the ground.

"Well, it's not like I have much of a choice." I stood up and offered her my hand to stand. She watched me with careful eyes, but accepted my hand. Her skin was icy cool against my skin. She released my hand as soon as she was on her feet.

Alice sighed deeply. "Well, now what? Thanks to Bella's stupidity, you do know you're sure to be expelled, right?" Emmett released her.

I shrugged. "I guess so." I ran a hand through my hair. I swear, this had to be some sort of record.

"Alice, I'll handle it. This is my fault." Bella refused to even look at me. She walked up to her sister and hugged her. Bella turned her back to me and tensioned up. "…I'm sorry about all that Edward. I thought I had better control then this. Obviously, I was wrong." She whispered almost to low to hear. Then she hurried towards the office doors.


	4. Confusions and Confessions

Still going…

True to her word, Bella Cullen did get everything sorted out. The four of us stormed into the office with a passion. The principal sat her down with the guidance counselor first. Right then and there she confessed to her overreaction, claiming she realized that she had just felt nervous around me. Bella apologized several times to the principal and indirectly me in the office. And that was it. No repercussions or anything. It was sad how much control one perfect young woman could have over the whole school.

No one doubted her story for a second. And they had no reason not to. But that dragged me back to my unanswered question: why would she have wanted me expelled in the first place? Her cryptic response had only left me more confused. She must have did it on purpose, Bella wanted to distract me. But why? If she wanted me to leave her alone, couldn't she have just ignored me like any other teenage girl would have? Why go to such extreme lengths?

Yes, I would admit it: I had gladly joined Mike and the rest of the Bella worshipers.

But once I accepted that, I was deeply disappointed in myself. Fawning so clearly over a girl so suddenly was not like me. To be honest, I had mostly kept a good way away from the girls at my old school. They were all so petty, overdramatic, and a bit childish. More or less, Jessica and Lauren.

But what was it about the Isabella Cullen that made me act so outside of myself? Quite obviously, she was beautiful. But… I could sense something so much more from her. Bella. She had a serious chip off her shoulder when it came to me. Was I just curious why? Or maybe it was the fact that she acted so contradictorily to me compared to the other girls. I wanted to get to know her because… she was different? A mystery? A… challenge? I pounded my head into my staring wheel repeatedly.

Thanks to our impromptu voyage to the Office, we had missed the end of 6th period and the whole of 7th. I had just managed to slip into the Gym building in enough time to get my sheet signed before the bell rang announcing the end of my first school day. Without a word I had hurried back to the office again, leaving the paper on Ms. Cope's desk. I had turned around suddenly to find myself face to face with Alice.

"Don't worry about this Edward." Alice reached up to pat my shoulder. "I swear, everything is going to work out fine. And I really am sorry about my sister. She… she had her reasons." But of course neither Alice nor Bella felt inclined to burden me with those 'reasons'. She just bid me a good day and skipped into Rosalie's red M3 BMW. It was a very nice car. I knew that Jake would be teeming with jealousy is he had seen it. But I refused to let an awesome convertible sidetrack me from my annoyance.

So I glared after them as I walked to the rental car. But then I just sat there for a while, staring into space for a bit. I had needed the free time to clear my head and think. I turned the station to a quiet alternative rock song. Making driving around this town will help. With a flip of the engine, I pulled out of the student parking lot. I remembered that most of the major components of this place, i.e. the mall, grocery store, and specialty shops, were just about eight miles south of here. I drove around there while contemplating the enigma that was Isabella Cullen.

She had been hiding something. The question was what. I parked the Civic in the parking lot of the mall. Perhaps it was some deep dark family secret. That would explain Alice's non-forthcoming attitude, at least. Granted, they weren't really a family. But even if that was it, why did they think I was going to mess it up? I pinched the bridge of my nose in frustration. Okay, I was digging too deep into this. Maybe Bella really did just hate me and Alice was trying to protect my feelings or whatever. That was simple and plausible. But then why didn't Bella just keep it up? No one was going to believe my anyway. Wait, hold on right there. Bella said herself she didn't want to get hurt in all of that. So that disproved that theory. And I doubted she could have hated me so much after half a class period.

"Ugh. This is pointless." My face sat on the wheel as I shut my eyes. "I keep going around in circles. Yes, she's keeping something from me. But oh well. I just met her today. Bella's got every right to keep a strange in the dark about all this." That's a lie. After nearly getting me expelled, someone sure as hell owed me some answers.

I looked in the back seat to see the side of my backpack quivering. Reaching back there with a sigh, I freed it and flipped it open with looking at the caller ID. "Mom." I sighed. "How was your first day at the school?" I was trying to detour her off her sure to be coming lecture. However, I soon found out that wasn't working. For the sake of my poor eardrums, I lifted the phone away from my face as she started to scold me.

"Edward Anthony Masen! Do you have any idea how worried I've been about you!? You should have beaten me home by a good two hours! But instead I come home to an empty house!" She went on in that fashion for the better part of the next few minutes.

Once I was sure her volume had diminished considerably, I thought it safe enough to raise the phone back to my ear. "Mom. I'm really sorry. Today was… rough." I knew she would jump in, so I hurried on. "We'll be discussing it later, I'm sure. I'll be home in ten minutes. Take out your anger on the couch cushions while I'm gone if you'd like." I offered as I tried to lighten her mood.

She sighed loudly. "Ten minutes." She repeated darkly. "The clock starts now. Good bye Edward Anthony." And she slammed the phone shut. I promptly zoomed out of the out of the parking lot. I feared what of mine she might take her anger out on if I was even a second late. I sped slightly at 55 all the way back to our house.

My mother was pacing outside on the lawn when I pulled in. I checked the clock nervously. It had barely been seven minutes. I grabbed my backpack and slowly made my way up the driveway. But she smiled, as I got closer I could see that. This does not bode well. I now noticed that she had the cordless house phone in her arms.

She wrapped her arms around my torso as I came within reach of her arms. "Oh Edward, I'm sorry I yelled at you earlier! You should have just told me!" she pulled back and waved the phone at me. "I'm so proud of you! Making friends already!"

"Making… friends?" I echoed.

"Oh course silly! That sweet little Alice Cullen just called to-"

Huh? "Wait, what? Alice called? Why?" And how did she get my number anyway.

Mom beamed up at me. "Yes, she told me how you went to the mall with her and her sister, Bella." She tugged me into the house. "And here I was worrying you wouldn't make friends quickly." He dragged me into the kitchen. She sat at the table opposite me. My mom started to tap her fingers impatiently. "So, tell me about her!"

"Um… she was in my English class today and asked me to sit at the table with her family at lunch. Alice was really friendly. I think we'll be good-"

"Don't you avoid the subject!" I stared at her, clearly not understanding. "Alice told me all about how she thinks you like this Bella Cullen girl." My mom actually giggled.

I froze as the blood rushed to my face. Alice Cullen. You are dead. "She… told you I liked Bella?" And why did she make up that we went to the mall? Did she know I was going to be in trouble?

"Yes, and that the three of you went to the mall." She beamed. "So tell me about her, Edward. Is she pretty?"

I turned my head away from my mom and nodded, still blushing faintly. She squealed. "She's… Isabella Cullen is a complete mystery to me. She ignores me one second, and then smiles at me the next. Every guy in the school has a crush on her. And quite honestly, I'm 99 percent positive she hates my guts. So if we're done here." I stood up and dashed upstairs, leaving a crestfallen mother in my wake.

I tossed my bag against the wall and shut my door. Not surprisingly, this day had fully exhausted me. I snatched a book off my shelf and hopped on top of my bed. I lifted the book above my head and attempted to focus on the text. The words, however, seemed to swim all over the page, taunting me. I growled in the back of my throat. But I gave up and dropped the book to cover my face. I closed my eyes and tried to think of anything but her. Anything at all! I dimly became aware that I was drifting off to sleep. I closed my eyes and pushed a pillow against the side of my face.

The next thing I became aware of was that I had somehow managed to end up dangling head first off my bed. I grumbled and lifted myself right. I suffered from extreme restlessness in my sleep. Chronically, I awoke on the floor, else well on my way to tumble off my bed. That was the reason I had insisted on getting a low bed: closer to the ground, less painful when I rolled to the floor.

I stretched and looked at my alarm clock. Wow, I had woken up early. I yawned, covering my mouth with the back of my hand. I grabbed my things and headed into the bathroom. I jumped into the water once it had warmed up a bit. I had just finished getting dressed when my mom started knocking at the door. "Coming." I called through the door as I picked my things up.

Mom coughed as I opened the door. "Is it a sauna in there? Save some hot water for me, sweetie." I nudged her lightly with my elbow as I made my way down the stairs. I still had time to make something to eat this morning, but I wasn't feeling hungry. I pulled a navy colored hoodie on before walking out into the constant rain. The heater was turned up slightly as I drove to the school. A favorite song of mine was playing on the radio. Hopefully that was a good sigh. I make it out of class alive after all.

I slammed the door shut and hastily ran to the school building to get out of the gloomy weather. No sooner had I flicked back my hood, a blur of pink and black appeared in front of me. The tiny 'blur' twisted about in her pink overcoat, squeaking her tall black boots as she went. "Heya Edward!" She called up to me.

I smirked. "Hello Alice. You seem happy. Should I be worried?" She seemed far too happy; it was almost scary.

But her face turned angelic and adorable. "I'm hurt Edward. Would I ever plot evil? Do you really think sweet little me able of deceit and tricky?"

"Well, I'm not really sure. Perhaps we should ask my mother about a certain phone call she received yesterday. Which reminds me," I took a hold of her shoulder, turning her to face me. Alice smiled transparently. "Ah, I am not so easy fooled dear Alice. Why in the world did you call me mom up a flat out lie to her?"

She ducked out from my arm, skipping backwards. "I didn't lie. Well, not about everything. After all," He voice rose louder. "You and I both know the part about a certain crush on a certain sister of mine was certainly trueee!" She shrieked as I chased after her. "Edward Masen!" Alice called out loud, nearly breathless from laughter as I picked her up effortlessly.

"One condition Alice Cullen. Never say that ever again. It's bad enough that I had to endure the awkwardness of my mother teasing me. I'd much rather the whole student body not join in." I placed her back on her feet and flicked her nose lightly.

She folded her arms. "Hmph! Well, I notice you didn't try to deny it."

"Why would I try to deny it? You already knew." I shrugged my shoulders. "And from what I've seen, a large population of the male students have a soft spot for your sister. Why should I be any different? Unless you count the whole trying to get my expelled from some unknown reason thing."

We reached my locker. I opened it with ease since I had taken the liberty of memorizing my combination already. I pushed the book bag into my top locker. Once I shut it with a snap, I noticed how quiet Alice had been. Her golden eyes were dazed and out of focus. "Alice?" I crouched down slightly to look my small friend in the face. But her body shook suddenly as if coming out of a trace. "What was that about? You having a seizure?" I straighten up and leaned against my locker. The bell was due in a few more minutes. Students were starting to flood into the school.

"Oh… "She looked at me with wide eyes. "It was nothing. I was just thinking. Come on, let's head to English." She added, gripping my hand tightly to drag me to Building 3 before I could question her father. The first bell rang as we walked into the brick building giving the 'okay' for students to enter their first period. Jessica was alone, sitting on her desk when we walked in. Her eyes narrowed at Alice's close contact and she hopped of her desk to walk up to us.

Alice made to walk away, but I gripped her hand tightly. "Not. A. Chance." I whispered in a deadly tone. "Don't leave me at Jessica's mercy."

She laughed and nodded. "No problem Edward. I'm your anti-Jess body guard." We laughed in whispers are Jessica stopped not two feet away from me. Apparently her new technique was to pretend Alice wasn't even there. She swished her hips in a very tight pair of jeans. Her shirt was in no way school appropriate; it was extremely low cut and nearly transparent. She fiddled with her necklace. It was painfully apparent she wanted my to stare at her tasteless ensemble.

But suddenly, it was Alice to the rescue. "Um… that's an… interesting top, Jessica." Alice slowly remarked. She ran a hand through her short hair, a smile dancing upon her lips as she looked over at me. "Did Mike like it?"

Jessica's eyes shot open. "Mike Newton?" Her voice was thick with venom now. "No. But who cares. He isn't into 'dating just one girl' right now." She repeated through clenched teeth. I almost felt sorry for Jessica. Then I reminded myself she was trying to seduce me to make him jealous.

"Oh, that's horrible. But don't worry I'm sure there's a guy for you." Jess's eyes flicked at me, then back at Alice. "I mean, my sister Bella was single for a while too. Then she found Edward over here." She poked my side. "It took a while, but they're pretty happy."

Jessica and I both froze. "What, you're dating Isabella Cullen?" Her eyes were livid. I could almost hear her envious thoughts shot at Bella. Alice nodded, then yanked me to out desk in the back of the room. The tardy bell rang loudly.

"Alice!" I hissed under my breath. "You can't just start rumors like that! Bella will kill us both!"

Her eyes danced with challenge. "Then there's only one solution: you have to actually ask her out."

Before I could respond, the class was called to order. I was furious. Now I had two options: let Bella hear of the rumor herself, then her promptly kick my ass to Timbuktu or I could pluck up any courage I had left and ask her on a date. _And then_ get my ass kick to Timbuktu. The way Alice said it was like it was no big deal. Or like she knew Bella would say yes. Did she know something I didn't? Perhaps Bella had confided in her about this. That was what sisters did. Suddenly, the future didn't look so bleak.


	5. Second Chances

Tee hee. Reviews make me laugh.

Have you ever noticed how when you are nervous about something that's going to happen later, like a test or something, the whole day speeds up? I'm pretty sure that's the world's way of torturing us. I felt like I had just been chatting with Ben in French when suddenly I found myself sitting at the Cullen/Hale table in the lunchroom.

Alice was beaming as Bella and Emmett walked over to the table. It felt like a wrestling match was going on in the pit of my stomach. Don't throw up; don't throw up, I begged myself as Bella stopped a few feet from the table. Emmett shrugged his shoulders and leaped into the seat beside Rosalie. She smirked at her brunette sister then turned to engage me in conversation.

Rosalie propped her perfect face up on the table with her slender hand. "So Edward, right? How are you liking your second day?" Her eyes flickered to her scowling sister who was still standing. "I mean, it can't have been any worse then the first right?" Bella glared at her sister, eyes flashing back to black.

Alice shook her head at the blond girl, but I smiled. "I would have to agree. No one's tried to expel me yet. But then again, I haven't been to Biology today." I focused only on Rosalie while I spoke, for I knew if I so much as looked at Bella for one second, I would freeze up. Rosalie laughed darkly as Bella turned away. She dropped her full tray into the nearest trashcan and stormed out of the cafeteria. Her sister and brothers watched her go out into the parking lot through the see through door.

Instantly, I started to feel guilty. After all, I still didn't know the circumstances concerning that peculiar outburst in class. Her oldest sister was clearly mocking her about it, so I could guess it wasn't a pleasant thing. I shoved away my own food now, my appetite gone.

Alice was furious. She stood up, hands pounding against the bench. "Rosalie Lillian Hale! That was not funny! How can you be so insensitive?" Now her eyes too darkened. What was with this family and their eyes?

Rosalie felt little or no remorse. She merely tossed a strand of hair over her shoulder with a smile. "Dearest Alice, why are you overreacting?" She chuckled. "If memory calls, you were much harsher on her then I. Besides, I didn't directly bring it up. If anything, Edward here should be the one you're upset with, not me." Rosalie winked at me before also leaving the group. Emmett sighed and mumbled "Sorry." to Alice and me before following his girlfriend. Jasper just shook his head and stared at the ceiling.

I turned back to Alice who seemed to be growling after her departed blond sister. "I swear, that Rosalie is so shallow, I could stand in a pool of her and not get my ankles wet." She muttered. Alice offered me an apologizing smile and sat back down. "Well, that wasn't awkward or anything. Just ignore Rose. If it doesn't involve her directly, she could give a shit."

I buried my head in my arms and spoke into the table. "So am I to assume Bella hates me even more now?" I mumbled, closing my eyes.

Alice bent her head to my level. "No, no! Don't let that bother you, Edward. I'm telling you, this whole thing has nothing to do with Bella hating you. It's… it's just very complicated. And my sister is acting so stubborn. Maybe if you talked with her more, things could smooth over a bit." She presented.

I snorted. "Oh yeah. I can see it now. Hello, remember me? I'm the guy you tried to expel. Say, you want to go out this Saturday? I swear I won't try to sexually harass you." I pounded my head repeatedly into the table. Alice sighed quietly. "Alice, just tell me what is going on, please. It's very exasperating not knowing what's going on. And if you aren't willing to tell me why Bella is avoiding me, I'm only left to think she really does want me dead."

Jasper snickered at that. "You don't know the half of it." His voice was taunting and only pissed me off further. Great, he's in on whatever this is too, whatever 'it' is.

"Jasper!" Alice shot at her boyfriend. She stood up and grabbed my arm to pull me with her. "Jasper, I can't believe this. You're being just as bad as Rose! Why don't you try to act your age?" Her tone was venomous as we walked out the door that led to the student parking lot, leaving Jasper to gawk after Alice, clearly hurt.

She muttered angrily the whole while she yanked me to the M3, her words too quick for me to catch them. We stopped outside of the car. Alice knocked lightly on the window. It rolled down slightly and music drifting out. "What?" Came Bella's enchanting voice from inside, clearly irritated. Without replying, Alice pulled open the door. Bella sat in the passenger seat, her legs crossed Indian style with a large book in her lap. Her hair created a veil that covered her face, which was still turned down to read the book. She didn't even look up when Alice had rudely opened the door. "Can I help you?" She asked, still engrossed in the book.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, you can." Alice folded her arms and nudged me forward with her shoulder. I stumbled slightly, the heat rising in my face. Bella paused in mid turn of a page.

"Alice." Her voice turned icy cold. Bella shut her book and looked out the other window, not bothering to acknowledge me.

But Alice ignored this and laughed frostily. "What's wrong Isabella? It's not like you to run away from something like this. I'm going to class. I expect you two will work everything out in my absence." With that, she pivoted on her heel and dashed across the lot. The bell rang right then. Still not looking at me, Bella stepped out of the car slowly. I took a step back as she turned her face to me finally.

Her eyes were not as dark as before, but still a tainted version of the beautiful butterscotch I first saw. She didn't speak, but wrapped her hand in mine, leading me to Biology. I tore my eyes away from our interlocked hands, flushed. From the corner of my eye, I watched Bella. She didn't say anything, but it looked almost as if she wasn't breathing. Her long mahogany hair flew just behind her in the wind and light rain. "I know this must be weird for you." She finally said.

I gulped. "Uhh, yeah a bit." I focused on not tripping my own as I walked. "And I'd like to apologize for what I said in the lunchroom. I was just…"

"Frustrated?" She offered with a tiny smile. That smile seemed a bit sad. "That's understandable. I… I wasn't mad about what you said." She explained. "It was more of me being upset with myself." She shook her head from side to side as I asked for her to clarify that. "No, now is not really the time, sorry. Perhaps later." We paused outside of the Biology room. I sighed and opened the door for Bella to pass through. She smiled and nodded her head, walking past me. For the first time, I noticed a faint fragrance lingering around her. It was very sweet and distinctly floral. I inhaled deeply before following her into the room.

I was immediately met with a dark look from Mr. Banner. I rolled my eyes and proceeded to my seat beside Bella. Mike jumped up from his chair when I put my bag next to the stool. His eyes held a challenge. Evidently, Mr. Banner wasn't the only one who wasn't willing to let yesterday go. I stepped forward, matching his defiant stare.

But then Bella skipped over to me, hugging my arm. "Edward?" She called in a flirty voice. I looked down at her bright smile and blushed slightly. Bella giggled and rested her head against my body. "Come and sit down, silly. Oh, hi Mike." Bella snuggled against me, pulling me into my chair. She sat down too, her seat barely two inches from mine. Mike, quite obviously defeated, shuffled back to his seat. Bella watched him go and sighed.

"What did you think you were doing?" She whispered into my ear angrily. I snickered. "Edward, this is not funny. Mr. Banner will be watching you closely after-after yesterday." She lowered her gaze. "Don't give him a chance to finish what didn't happened. I'm serious." She pulled away and opened her bag, pulling out her notebook.

Feeling bold, I drew closer to her, breathing into her ear. "And if you don't mind me asking, Ms. Cullen, why do you suddenly care so much?" She shivered as my heated breath touched her skin. Her eyes closed, but I could tell she was smiling faintly.

"How should I know? Perhaps I just want the chance myself." Bella turned her head so now our faces were not even an inch apart. But more importantly, our lips were so close. I knew she had to notice it too. Her smile was devious. Just when I thought she lean in to close the gap, she exhaled into my face, drawing back. I lost my train of thought, suddenly very confused. Bella chuckled at my expression and looked up at the board.

I blinked a few times, trying to clear my head. What just happened? It felt like her breath had flooded my brain, dazing me. Sheesh, was there anything about her that didn't leave me feeling helpless?

Mr. Banner assigned us to work in partners to label the systems and function of the body. He passed out a sheet of paper to each group with a person drawn on it. Bella shifted her body to face me again as she looked at the paper. "Well, this seems fairly simple." She dug in her bag looking for a pen.

I dragged the paper towards me and started filling in the blanks. Bella's eyes widened when she saw I had already filled in half the sheet. She laughed. "You weren't just being arrogant when you said you had covered this stuff, huh? Here, give me the paper. I don't want Banner to think I just let you do everything." I slid her the paper and she promptly finished up, printing both of our names on top.

"You seem to know your stuff as well." I commented as I went over everything. She hadn't missed a single one. Her smile was secretive. "Have you taken this class before?" I asked.

She was slow to answer. "Sort of. I helped my older siblings study this material last year. Not to mention, I pretty smart." Bella traced the edges of the paper. I couldn't help but to watch her every movement. She was careful and full of grace with everything she did. Somehow, she seemed delicate, fragile in a way. I felt the urge to just pull her into my arms and want to protect her forever. How strange. I looked at the floor, the silence between us building.

Bella spoke first. "So… I heard this one rumor this morning. About you and I." She stopped and seemed to be fighting with herself. I could feel myself shaking. Oh crap, she couldn't have heard that stupid rumor already! Things sure went around fast in Forks. Bella folded her fingers in her lap. "Yeah, Mike came up to me and asked if… you and I were dating."

"I'm really sorry about that-" I blurted out, completely embarrassed. If she didn't hate me before, she sure as hell must now.

But Bella cut me off. "And I told him yes."

I looked up at her, not sure if I heard her right. She had became very interested in watching the clock tick slowly, not looking in my direction. "Wait, what?"

She sighed and shook her head. "It's not a big deal if you really don't want to ask me out, I just thought it might be easier to cover up what happened yesterday." Bella mumbled. "No doubt it was Alice's fault anyway..." Her voice trailed off.

Well, it's now or never. I cleared my throat still staring at my shoes. "Yeah, it was Alice who told Jessica… but I was planning on asking you out this weekend anyway. Don't feel pressured to say yes just because some people think we're going out or anything." I added quickly.

Bella stroked her bangs behind her ear and looked over her shoulder at me. "Okay then. Glad that's settled." My heart sunk at that moment. Then Bella leaned forward and giggled. "So, do tell me, where exactly are we going on our first date?"

I sat up and smiled at her sheepishly. "I actually didn't get that far into planning it. I didn't think you'd say yes."

She took my hand and laughed. It was a thousand times more beautiful then I would have thought possible. A crystal clear tone full of delight. "Don't worry Edward. We'll figure it out later. Maybe we should just drive around Port Angeles. They have an awesome book store." She turned thoughtful.

Mr. Banner walked around the tables collecting the papers, as the bell was due very soon. He stopped at the desk Bella and me shared. He glared down and me as he took the sheet. "My, my Ms. Cullen. Wonderful work, as usual. I see Mr. Masen was of no help. Perhaps I really should move him."

Bella smiled and shook her head. "Actually, he finished more then half the problems in the time it took me to find a pencil." She winked at me. "He really does know his stuff." Mr. Banner grumbled and went back to his desk, thoroughly put out. The bell rang then.

Bella and I stood, gathering our things in our bags. "So what's your next class, Edward?" She smiled as I took her hand while we walked out the door. I marveled how perfectly her small hand fit in mine. Mike threw me envious looks and then rushed away. I chuckled before replying that I had gym next. She brightened. "So do I." Knowing I had my last two classes with Bella in a row enhanced the outlook of each and every day of school.

Bella dove into the girls' locker room while I reported to Coach Clapp. He gave me a gym uniform and assigned me a locker number. I walked into the boys' locker room and located mine. After I unlocked it, I undressed quickly, donning the FHS uniform: a pair of red gym shorts and a gray t-shirt with the Forks emblem on my chest.

Bella dashed over to me once I walked back into the gymnasium. Her long hair was tied back into two ponytails that drifted behind her as she made her way to me. Her shirt was long sleeved but still with the Forks symbol on it. I couldn't help but observe how perfectly slender and long her legs were in her short bottoms. Bella came to a sudden halt in front of me smiling.

"Hello there, stranger." She called, slipping her hand in mine.

I pulled her close to my side as we walked. "Hello there yourself."

We climbed to the highest part of the bleachers. "Today is a free day. That means Clapp's wife threw him out of the house and he slept in his car so he has no lesson plans." She smiled up at me. "So why don't we just sit up here and chat."

I laughed. "Okay, I have no problem with that. I want to know everything about you." I whispered, caressing her hair.

She giggled. "Let's start with the basics. Favorite color?'

"Hm… I would say red." I leaned into her face, looking into her eyes. "But right now I'm inclined to say topaz. Your eyes are so stunning." Bella rolled her eyes. "And what is your favorite color?"

"Definitely turquoise, but emerald is a close second." I tugged lightly on her pigtail. "Favorite animal?"

The rest of the period passed in that fashion. We covered everything from favorite CD to book. Eventually we drifted to ask about each other's lives before we moved to Forks. Bella was reluctant to say much beside that both her parents died a while ago and that she used to live in Florida. I told her about my father dying and how heartbroken my mother had been. I skimmed over the details of the years that followed explaining that things had been difficult for a while. She nodded her head, those lovely eyes of her reflecting sadness. Next came that chat about any past relationships. I admitted that I hadn't dated around, not having time since my mother came first. Bella smiled at that and said I was a devoted son. She also said she too hadn't dated before. Her adoptive parents had tried to get her with other guys before, but she had felt them all idiots and shoved them away fast.

"You've really never had a real boyfriend before?" I asked seriously. I found it hard to believe someone as gorgeous and amazing as Bella had never dated.

She nodded and smiled. "Most of the boys I meet are just that: boys. Sickingly immature and beyond boring."

I laughed. "Sounds exactly like the typical high school girl."

"Like me?" she asked.

But I kissed her hand. "Not at all. You're far from typical. You seem so different from the rest of them. More mature, clever, and all around special."

She beamed, but quickly asked a new question. I didn't pursue it.

We separated in the locker rooms, but met up again outside the gym. She smiled at our entwined hands as I walked her to Rosalie's car. "I've become incredibly used to the warm of your hand." She admitted offhand when the M3 came into view. "Well, I don't want to keep my siblings waiting. See you tomorrow?"

I leaned in and kissed her cheek. Her flesh was pleasantly cool and perfect. "Count on it." I waved and turned to find the rental. The Civic was parked a few cars south of Rosalie's convertible. I hopped in and turned the key in the ignition. I then joined the countless other cars in the line to leave the parking lot. Ben honked his horn at me behind the Civic. I grinned and waved as I pulled out.

Mom wasn't home when I got there. The elementary schools got out at 4 around here. So I unlocked the door and pulled of my sopping wet hoodie. Making my way to the laundry room, I yanked off the rest of my wet clothes. I started a load, dumping in some clothes from the hamper as well. The dial was set to an hour. In my room, I tossed on my pajama pants and went to the kitchen to find some food.

The phone rang as the pop tarts jumped out of the toaster. I grabbed one in my mouth and took the phone off the hook. "Masen residence, Edward speaking." I said after a bite of my snack.

"Hiya Edward!"

I rolled my eyes and took another bite. "Hello Alice. You know, you never did tell me how you got my number."

She laughed. "Ever heard of a phone book, silly?"

"I really doubt it would have our number since we just moved here." I countered.

"Fine. My mom ran into your mom the first day you came here in the grocery store. My mom told her that she had a bunch of kids and hoped we'd be good friends with you. So then your mom gave her the number." Alice sighed loudly, as if annoyed. "But that's not the reason I called."

"I figured as much."

"I hear a certain sister of mine is going on a certain date with a certain friend of mine." She chanted joyfully.

Now I laughed. "Yes, that is certainly true."

"Oh Edward, I'm really happy! I've never seen Bella this excited! I think she _really_ like you!" I heard a faint crash followed by screaming.

That didn't sound good. "Alice? Alice?"

"Heh heh. Sorry about that. Bella came home and tossed several things at me. I think she was embarrassed that I told you she really, really, _reallllllly_-" The phone went dead at that moment.

I hung the phone up, chuckling. I could only imagine what Bella was doing to poor Alice. But if Alice was telling the truth, maybe Bella liked me as much as I liked her. I finished the rest of my pop tart and sat down on my couch, deep in thought. I'd have to ask Bella about that tomorrow.


	6. Exhibit A

**A/N: Still going strong. Sorry, Writer's Block/Brother's birthday/Moving Day stuff have held me up a bit.**

I woke up the next morning to the sound of my beeping alarm clock. I groaned, slamming the 'off' button and rolling over to fall off my bed completely. I became dimly aware of the throbbing pain in my foot. Sitting up, it became apparent that my left leg had collided with the dresser during my tumble. Well, that's going to swell up nicely. I hopped to my closet on my good foot to get my clothes, wincing as my other leg bounced during my movements.

I blinked rapidly as I flipped on the bathroom light. "Who's bright idea was it to make school start so early in the morning?" I grumbled, turning the dials of the shower. Water flooded slowly from the showerhead. Once the water was warm enough for me, I stripped and dove into it. I lazily flipped my dripping bangs from my forehead. After quickly scrubbing down, I shut off the water.

Mom must be awake my now. I could hear her shuffling through her dresser, cursing mildly since she couldn't find a blouse she wanted. I toweled off and pulled on my clothes for today. A simple pair of black jeans with a mint green button down. My hair was still wet but I figured it didn't matter; it would be a waste of time to dry it off only to get soaked again on my way to the car.

I heard my mom skip into the bathroom as I munched down a bowl of cereal. She seemed to be in a rush.

I looked up from my breakfast; a thumping noise was coming from the entrance hall. Someone was knocking on the door. I dumped the remainder of my food down the drain and opened the door. A beautiful woman with caramel colored hair smiled up at me from the doorframe. She was a smaller woman and looked very young. "Hello. You must be Edward." I was taken back by her melodious voice. Her almond shaped eyes were a stunning gold color. "I'm Esme Cullen. I work with your mother at the Elementary school." She explained.

I nodded and smiled. She had a very calming and gentle aura to her. "Mrs. Cullen? Then you must be Bella and Alice's mother." That made sense; all of the family had those same stunning features and oddly colored eyes. Were all of the Cullens this incredibly beautiful? But it was hard to imagine this tiny woman as a mother to anyone old enough for high school. She could have passed as a college student!

Mrs. Cullen smiled back. "Yes I am. I'm so glad you could be friends with my girls. Actually, more then friends, right?" I flushed faintly. Bella's mother merely giggled. "I'm very excited. My poor Bella hasn't been on a real date before. I know she'll enjoy it."

"A date?" My mother poked her head down the stairs. I drew to a side to allow Mrs. Cullen into the house. But she shook her head. "Actually, we must be going now. We're going to be late, Elizabeth." She reminded Mom.

But my Mom just laughed. "Hold your horses, Esme. We'll be fine." She pulled a sweater over her head as she walked down the stairs. "But what is this I hear about a date? Well? Is it true, Edward?" She beamed as I nodded my head. "Oh, this is wonderful! I've met Bella before. She came to the school yesterday to help out her mother." Mom turned to Mrs. Cullen. "Bella is such a sweet girl. I'm really happy she said yes. Alice told me how much Edward likes her."

I groaned. Why did parents think it was okay to talk about their children's lives when they were standing right there? "Mom? Shouldn't you be getting to work?" I asked pointedly. Mrs. Cullen winked at me and pulled my mother out the door. They both called for me to have a nice day at school as they drove away in a black Mercedes. Wow. Did everyone in that family have a nice car, too? I guess it was true that good looks usually went hand in hand with money.

I grabbed my raincoat over my arm and dashed to the Civic. Today it was raining harder then it had the past few days. I hoped it would clear up a bit for my date with Bella tomorrow. Some whiny pop song was playing on the radio. Urgh. Didn't Justin Timberlake have anything better to do then try to relive the glory days? I turned the station to a classical one.

The rain got harder as I parked. Countless students were rushing into the dry school building. Tossing my backpack over shoulder, I made a mad dash into the school. I had barely shook the water from my hair when Alice skipped down the hall to me, dragging Bella in tow; her hair, braided today, gracefully swinging down her back. She was wearing a navy raincoat with a long sleeved turtleneck underneath. Her dark jean skirt ended halfway down her calf. Bella smiled when I caught her gaze, making my heart pound like crazy.

"Good morning, ladies." I ignored the frantic beating in my chest to greet them. Alice had on a pair of bright pink Capri pants with a black jacket zipped all the way up. "What's the rush, Alice?"

Bella freed her hand and scooted to my side. I couldn't help but to smile as she rested her head against my arm. "Haven't you learned yet? Little Alice here is always in a rush." Alice sniffed.

"I'll pretend I didn't here that, Isabella." She retorted in a low voice. But then she cheered up almost immediately. "I'm just in a really good mood. I have a feeling today is going to be a good Friday." She added cryptically.

I wrapped my arm tighter around Bella's waist. "Alice, you're scaring us a bit." Bella laughed, her eyes twinkling. But then the bell rang, announcing the start of school.

Bella sighed. "Ugh. Got to head to Trig. See you guys at lunch." She hopped on the tip of her toes to kiss me lightly on the cheek before heading down the hall.

"Come on lover boy. Stop staring after my sister; we have class too, ya know." But Alice laughed as she pulled me in the opposite direction. I scoffed but didn't protest. "So where exactly are you taking fair Isabella tomorrow, Edward? A sister's gotta know in case you guys decide to elope or something."

I groaned. "Alice, it's one date. Our first in fact. Do you really think I'm just going to run off with your sister?" Sadly, this thought was putting some serious consideration into my head. I started to plan it in my head already. Simply taking off. No worries, no cares, just me and her. Stupid hormones.

Alice stopped suddenly, doubling over with laughter. I crouched beside her, patting her back as she choked on her mirth. Students stopped to stare at the tiny girl rolling on the floor. I chuckled under my breath; her excessive laughter was more then enough to make me join in. Finally, she stopped and crawled to her knees. I wrapped my arm around her waist to hoist her onto her feet.

"Do I even want to know what that all was about?" I asked as I picked up her discarded binder and books from the floor.

She giggled as she swiped the piled books in my hands into her arms. "It was nothing really. Just a rather funny image of you and my sister." She stifled another bout of laughter before continuing. "You two lovers trying to run away. Somehow, I don't think it would work out too well." I raised my eyebrows, but Alice just shook her head and walked away.

"Alice Cullen," I started once I caught up with her pace. "You are officially one of the strangest people I have ever met. And I grew up in Chicago, so that's saying something." I joined her again in laughter.

I followed her into the half empty classroom, making our way past Jessica without a word. She turned in her seat to watch us -me- through narrowed eyes. Then, with a flip of her curly hair, Jess turned to engage a red haired girl in conversation. Alice smirked and winked at me. "Thank god." She whispered. "That dreadful Jessica girl must have realized she was out of her league. And it only took a few days."

Then the bell rang as several tardy students skated in the door. The teacher, Mrs. Kozielski, shook her head as she passed out a worksheet. I groaned along with most of the class as I read the headline: Translating Shakespearian Dialog.

"It's a complete repeat of freshman year." I muttered, quickly scribbling answers on my paper. I looked to see Alice doing the same. She sighed and nodded. "Yeah, I know. But you'll get used to it after a while."

"Doubt it."

After a painful half an hour, Mrs. K took some pity on our struggling classmates. Once she had given up the answers, class was nearly over.

Alice turned in her seat. "So seriously, where are you taking my sister? I think I should get the interrogations out of the way before Emmett has into you." She waved her hand into the air. "I don't think he'll take the news well; he's always babied Bella."

I flipped a pencil bake and forth on the desk, "Perfect. Now I have an older brother with a sister complex to worry about."

"Oh, don't take Emmett seriously!"

"Of course not. He's only twice my size, after all."

"He's a teddy bear, really." I scoffed. "When you get to know him, you'll realize he's all talk. Well, unless you get on his bad side. But you wouldn't do that."

"Yeah, I'm only dating his younger sister. What could he find wrong with that?"

"You know, there are some people in the world who can't afford sarcasm." She tossed a crumpled ball of paper at me.

I caught it with ease. "How do they survive?"

Alice and I parted ways outside the foreign language building. She waved frantically before making a made dash in the other direction. I held the door open for Ben and Angela to pass through before I followed into the threshold.

We took a seat at out table while we waited for Jessica and Mike. Angela engaged me in conversation while Ben rushed to finish Biology homework. "So Edward, I heard you and Bella Cullen were going out."

I grinned and nodded. "You heard correctly."

"I'm really happy for you. Everyone has always said Bella was cold and aloof when it came to making friends, but I didn't believe it." Angela opened her French text book as the warning bell rang. "I sat next to Bella in Geometry last year. She was nice and polite, often helping me with problems I didn't understand. So I never truly understood why Jessica would say things like-"

"It's because she's jealous, Ang."

"Jessica… she wouldn't say mean things like that over something so ridiculous, would she?"

Ben shook his head with a grin. "Angela, I love you, but you can be so naïve. You always see the good in people. I'd admire that, but there is so little good in Jess, that it's pathetic." He turned to me. "It was a big shock when you sat with the Cullens yesterday. They are… pretty distant. Not mean, but… intimidating? Yeah, I guess that's the best word for it."

"I can understand that. Emmett Cullen looks like he could rip the fender of a truck."

Ben laughed. "I wouldn't put it past him. They've all been… well, none of them have gotten into trouble since they moved here two years ago."

"Not even Emmett?" Despite what Alice may have said at her brother, he still could have played the part of a delinquent.

He scoffed. "Nope. There was one incident, however. In sophomore year, Mike over there tried to ask Bella out." My grip tightened on the table. "She said no, of course. Bella's never shown interest in anyone before you, buddy. But Mike was hard headed. Kept following her around the school trying to convince her. She got really annoyed and told him to buzz."

"He tried to hit her." Angela bit her lip, looking terrified. "I couldn't believe it, but it's true. Mike tried to slap her across the face."

"What?" My voice sunk an octave, becoming low and dangerous.

Angela sighed deeply. "We were all so shocked. Thankfully, he didn't lay a hand on her."

"But not for lack of trying." Ben tossed in. The way they keep switching between telling the story reminded me of twins. "Before he could make contact, Emmett comes out of nowhere. Grabs Mike's wrist and pins him against the wall. Bella and Jasper had to yank the guy off Mike." Ben shrugged. "Considering Emmett's size, I think Mike came out of it pretty good. Only a broken wrist. Snapped the bone clean."

I growled as Mike and Jessica strolled into the room. "At least my newfound hatred for Newton is justified now."

The two took their seats across from me. Jessica glared at me for a fraction of a second before turning to Ben. "So what are we all talking about?"

"About how Emmett made a fool out of Mike last year." Ben replied.

Mike's face darkened. "The dude's fucking huge! Probably on steroids of something."

"That's not really the point though." I shot at him. He looked annoyed by my interruption. "I can't believe you would try to hurt Bella just because you aren't her type. That is the stupidest thing I've ever-"

"It wasn't because she didn't like Mike!" Jessica squeaked. "Didn't you hear? Bella is a dirty tramp. Emmett reacted so strongly because he cheating on Rosalie with her. Haven't you seen how close those two are? He always walked her to class in freshman year. I've seen them hugging and stuff in the hallway, too."

I rolled my eyes. "Jessica, that is the most petty thing I have ever heard. You think she's sleeping with her brother?" I asked sarcastically.

"Well, yeah. They don't seem too keen on boundaries in that family. Alice and Jasper are dating too, you know." Her voice was full of scandal.

"Jessica, let me say this slowly so you'll understand. Alice and Jasper are not blood related. None of them are except Rosalie and Jasper. So it's not incest." I paused. "Like they are room mates who happened to fall in love."

She looked put out. "You don't even care that your little girlfriend is cheating on you?"

I snorted. "That is a bunch of crap. It's call being an older brother. Emmett was trying to protect his sister from assholes. See exhibit A: Mike Newton." I pointed to him. "I think your jealousy goes right beyond that, passing the border into insanity." I added with a wink at Ben and Angela. The both laughed.

Jessica didn't talk to me the rest of the period. That only added to my good mood, however. Geography was pretty dull. We took a pretest to see how much we knew about the history of Israel. It was so easy; I ended up with a perfect score, the only one in class. Well, at least I wouldn't have to take the posttest at the end of the week now.

Mrs. Jones, the musical instruction teacher, insisted on a free day. "Anything goes. But remember that you must have learned to play a flawless composition by the end of next month! You can test early with me for extra credit, but if it's anything less then perfect, I drop a letter grade for wasting my time." She warned with a hint of a smile. The class dispersed to their respective instruments.

I settled myself behind the black piano in the corned of the room. Lauren came and sat at the bench beside me. "So, how boring is this class. I only took it because it promised an easy 'A'. Clearly, that's not the case."

"Then maybe you should jump ship." I pointed out.

"Oh, that's a good idea. Or maybe…" She pouted her lips. "Would you help me? I've never even picked out an instrument to play." She ran her finger along the key of the piano. "Is the piano easy to play?"

"Nope."

Her face fell. "But, you can teach me how to play good, right?"

"First off, it's play _well_. Second, learning to play properly takes years. You can't just learn in a rush so you don't fail." I pushed her hand of the keys. "Try an easier instrument. Might I suggest the triangle?"

She stood up angrily. "No need to get snooty about it."

"Yes, there clearly was. I've devoted years to learning how to play the piano. Naturally, I would get offended when someone insinuates that it's easy." Without another word, I turned to the keys to practice.

I'd picked _Moonlight_ by Beethoven to play as my quarterly project. It was a bit of a challenge, but clearly a masterpiece. I was so into the composition, I didn't even realize when Mrs. Jones sat beside me. "That was wonderful, Mr. Masen."

I turned my head slightly, still playing. "Thank you, Mrs. Jones. I've played the piano for quite a few years now." We were silent at I finished the masterpiece. Mrs. Jones clapped enthusiastically along with the class.

"You've been in my class for only three days and I already know you'll get higher marks then most of the others." She said with a laugh.

The bell rang then. I hurried along with the rest of my class to next hour Calculus

**A/N: I'll update more often, I swear!**


	7. Seeing Red

_A/N: Sorry about the super lateness. I've been busy helping Rio start up his account. Check it out! His name is __MourningxRio__. Anyway, I mostly updated for my buddies Angela, Brandi, and Nikki. This one's for you, ladies!_

_A/N 2.o: My buddy and co-writer Rio mentioned something today as I typed this up. _

"_Jasper sure is cold to Edward in Sweet Sorrow. How come the Hales always end up with the short end of the stick? Everyone loves Emmett and Alice!"_

_I don't know if it's just me, but Emmett and Alice both seem to be more… fun. I think it has to do with how Rosalie and Jasper came to be. (insert Eclipse Spoilers here) Jasper was a tool for a war. Rosalie was raped by her fiancée. (/end spoilers) Turned them sort of bitter. Well, not bitter, but indifferent. Emmett was changed so he could spend eternity with his angel. Alice doesn't know the circumstances surround her transformation or human life to regret it._

**Disclaimer: Don't own Twilight, New Moon, or Eclipse**

I took my customary seat beside Jasper Hale as the warning bell rang. He didn't acknowledge my presence, so I followed his example.

Our teacher, a tall balding man, shuffled into the classroom just as the bell announcing the start of class rang. He flipped on the ancient overhead projector and asked two students to pass out the class set of textbooks. I passed Jasper his as a pale boy with greasy hair -I vaguely remembered his name being Eric- walked by with the cart. When he didn't respond, I just tossed it onto the table in front of him. He thanked me with an icy glare.

Today we were to be reviewing what we had learned yesterday. "Pick twenty problems from page 492." The teacher wheezed as he wrote the instructions. "Only even numbers. Show all work. Turn in your completed paper at the end of class. And if I see you picked the same problems as your table partner, you'll both get a zero. I don't care which one of you was the cheater. Get started." He walked along the aisle to his desk in the back and started to type on his computer.

I dragged my book into my lap and located the page. The problems didn't look too hard. The work was pretty straightforward. I ripped a sheet of paper out of my binder and got to work.

Some of the class had erupted in whispers at their tables as they worked. Our teacher obviously didn't mind because he didn't bother to stop them. My own table could be described as 'silent as the grave' perfectly. Jasper was leaned over the desk, staring blankly into space, his book still shut.

For the better part of the next 45 minutes, I scribbled answers onto my paper. With a good ten minutes left, I closed my book. Now I had nothing to do but stare into space. Fun fun fun.

Jasper finally opened his book. With a deep sigh filled with annoyance, he uncapped his pen. At an inhuman speed, he scribbled answer after answer. Sheesh. That would at least explain why he waited so long to start his class work. He must be very smart.

The bell rang just as he snapped the book close with a smirk. Jasper turned wordlessly, swinging a backpack over one shoulder. He dropped his paper in the pile and strolled out the door. I rolled my eyes and pulled his textbook on top of mine, slipping it on the cart Eric was pushing.

"Oh, thanks, Edward."

"No problem." I answered as I followed Jasper out the door, adding my paper to the pile.

"You know I don't like him like that, Jazz. Try to understand. I'm trying to help Bella." That sounded like Alice. I turned the corner that ended in the cafeteria.

A gruff voice, low with concern, answered her. "Just let them figure it out on their own, Alice. I don't like having to share you." I could see a taller boy leaning over to speak with someone. As I made my way down the hall, I could make them out more clearly.

Alice was talking to Jasper just in front of the doors to the cafeteria. Well, I thought they were talking. Upon closer inspection, I could tell they were locked in a passionate embrace. Not something I wanted to interrupt. So I turned on the spot and walked through crowd of freshman girls.

Once at my locker, I tossed my things from my first five periods in. My locker was packed to the point of exploding. I dug through my binder and found the biology homework Ben had been struggling with. I had it finished, but I couldn't think of anything else to do. So I grabbed the paper and my biology book, shutting my locker with a snap.

I wasn't really hungry, so I decided to skip lunch today. I figured I should give Alice her space for now. Not doubt my interference had caused that slight rift in hers and Jasper's relationship. That didn't seem fair to them. She was trying to be a good friend and I in turn gave her grief.

The picnic benches outside were empty when I walked out there. No doubt that had to do with the thick clouds above head. But it wasn't raining this second. So I jumped onto the table and opened my book, tossing my coat on the bench.

I opened my textbook, but couldn't focus. Instead, I let my mind wander. Only one event was looming closer by the hour: my date with Bella. So much had been going on the past few days that it was just starting to set in. I was talking Bella Cullen on a date. Bella Cullen, walking perfection.

Dating wasn't my thing, per say. Not because I found it stupid, but because I'd never found anyone worth spending time with. Just ever day shallower then a puddle high-end shopping robots. Each and everyone alike in more ways then I cared to count. Really, a waste of time completely.

And then Isabella Cullen came along.

I could hardly stop thinking about her. She was always in my thoughts. Whether it was 'I wonder what Bella is doing right now' to 'this reminds me of her so much' or even 'does she ever thing about me'. I hated feeling so vulnerable. I was always able to function more properly when on my own. I was complete in myself. I didn't need someone to come along and complicate my existence. But now…

And then came the crippling fear of her absence. Whenever she wasn't around, I craved her companionship. By my side was where she belonged. Her time shouldn't be wasted on any other for so few -if any- were really worth that stunning creature's time. Myself especially.

But what if she did send me away? I would leave, yes, although it would be the last thing I would ever want to do. As long as I could maintain some type of relationship with her, I would be content. A friendship, perhaps. That would be manageable. Unless… What if the date went horribly amiss? Then what? What if she really wanted me to go away completely after that?

I groaned. That was something to not think off. I'd only freak out for the next 20 hours. I dropped my gaze to the book in my lap. But then something caught my attention.

Mike Newton was exiting the cafeteria, making a beeline to me. Tyler Crowley and Austin Marks, a kid who had failed twice and was currently a senior again, followed him. By the smug look on the blonde's face, I knew this would end badly. Great. Another fight I should avoid. But at this point, I wasn't in the best of moods. Instead of ditching while I had the chance, I stayed perfectly calm and waited for the boys to get closer.

I kept my eyes glued, unmoving, to my textbook as Mike stopped in front of me. "Can I help you, Newton?" My voice was somewhere between annoyance and amusement.

"Yeah, I think you can, Masen." Oh god, he was trying to be intimidating. I fought the urge to laugh at his 'tough guy' tone. Honestly, he was like a pouting four-year-old. I looked at his, one brow raised. His baby face was sullen but defiant, eyes ablaze. Wow, he even looked like a brat. "We'd like to speak to you. Bout Bella."

I should have figured. "Michael, I will tell you what I told your dear Jessica." I said in a bored voice. "Jealousy is not becoming. Now go stomp away angrily with your friends like a good little boy."

I didn't mean to sound condescending. Well, maybe a bit. But it put Mike in a rage. "Who the hell said I was jealous, Masen!?"

I smirked. "Why else would you waste your lunch period in trying to harass me so I would stay away from Bella?" As if that would ever happen. Bella would be the only person who could send me away from her. Mike must be dreaming if he thought anything otherwise.

"You're not good enough for her!"

Oh, he struck a cord there. Put out, I replied, "No doubt. But I'll want for her to be the judge of that." I glared at his triumphant face. "And what makes you think you _are_ good enough for her, Newton? I think her brother made it very clear that you weren't."

Abolished, Mike steamed without a word. I took that as a sign that he understood where I stood. Before I could get up to leave, Austin spoke up.

He was a very large person, but not yet rivaling Emmett Cullen. However, he held about him an air of stupidity that lead me to believe he was just the muscle to back up Mike's bravado.

"So what's going on between you and the other Cullen girl? The small one?"

That threw me for a loop. Why did it matter? "Who, Alice? What about her? She's my friend who is trying to help me out with her sister."

He grinned stupidly. "Friends, right. You two seem pretty close for friends." Tyler nodded.

"Let me say this slowly: We. Are. Friends. Won't that imply that we are, as you said, 'pretty close'?"

"Heh, whatever you say buddy." Tyler rolled his eyes and elbowed Austin. How obnoxious.

Austin didn't want to let it go. "Friends my ass. No guy would ever be just friends with a chick like that." I frowned at his implications. "I bet he's just trying to get with the both of them." He told Mike.

Mike's face lit up. "Oh, totally. Sleeping with both the sisters. Yeah, that's what you're up to, aren't ya, Masen."

I was forcefully reminded of Jessica in this boy. They really were great for each other. "What is with you people and love triangles? Is that how it is in all small towns like this?" I scoffed. "No one can stand to see a happy couple, so they come up with the most vile thing they can think of. No one can have a healthy relationship here. There must be some hint of scandal in everything."

Mike folded his arms. "Well, we all know that Rosalie girl isn't the pinnacle of virtue, either."

I was incredulous. "And what, in god's name, makes you think that."

"Just look at her! Clearly she's someone who would be getting around." Tyler and Austin exchanged goofy looks. How vulgar. I'm sure her boyfriend wouldn't appreciate that. I was about to say so when Mike chuckled, bringing me back to the blue-eyed boy.

"Yeah, we all know how the Hale girl is. Who's to say the little Cullen girl isn't the same." He sneered, trying to provoke me. And it was working.

"What was that?" My voice was furious beyond compare, but only came out as a whisper. I didn't have the control to raise it any higher.

The boy just high-five Tyler. "Oh come on, Masen. Don't be so naïve. That Alice can't be all that innocent. Bella, sure. But not Alice. Living in the same house as her boyfriend? Probably a tramp-" He wasn't able to finish his sentence.

I was about to jump at him, but someone beat me to it. One second, Mike was in front of me, acting like he was king of the world. The next, he's ten feet to the right, pinned to the ground under no other then Jasper Hale.

"Jasper, no!"

I looked over to see tiny Alice running towards her boyfriend. Emmett was right behind, his face fierce. I pushed past the still stunned Austin and Tyler to see if I was needed to help pry Jasper off. As I neared the quarreling blonde, I noticed Alice's eyes widen.

"Oh no." Her voice was broken and soft as a bell. I couldn't tell what the problem was. I looked closer.

Mike was whimpering on the pavement, his eyes firmly shut. I noticed with satisfaction that he had a rather nice shiner coming along in the middle of his face. His nose must have been broken too, for it was bleeding.

Jasper was a statue. His eyes were once again a darker color then I remembered. Near black, really. But before I could put any farther thought into that, I saw Alice jump at Jasper.

"Jasper, jasper, no!" She was sobbing dryly, yanking on her boyfriend's arm. "Think about me! Don't do this! Think of our family! Just come on!"

I couldn't understand why Alice was being so dramatic. Jasper wasn't hurting Mike anymore. And the kid didn't even come out of it too bad. A bruise. Big deal. A little blood. Big whoopee.

I stepped closer, about to pull Alice when away. She was screaming into Jasper's back, trying in vain to pull him off the sniveling boy. Not even a foot away, I looked at Jasper's face.

And I was afraid.

His face was contorted, jaw set, clearly out of control. His teeth were barred as he looked down at Mike. Eyes narrowed to near slits. Ferocious. Animal-like. Dangerous. But it wasn't like he wanted to hurt Mike. It was like he wanted to kill him. Literally.

Common sense kicked in. I dragged Mike by him arm out from under Jasper. The Hale boy didn't move an inched as the body slid out from his clutches. As much as I didn't like Mike, I knew it wasn't safe for him at that moment. He was in real danger.

Once Mike was a good few feet away, Emmett moved to the couple. I hadn't noticed before, but Emmett must have been frozen too. The huge man gripped Jasper's arm and pulled him to his feet. Alice held onto the other arm and them marched him in the opposite direction of us without a look back.

"Come on." I dragged Mike to his feet too. The boy wobbled unsteadily before collapsing against my arm. "Mike, get a hold of yourself." Look to his friends for support. Austin sprung over to us, shoving Mike's free are over his own shoulder. "Let's get him to the nurse's office." Tyler followed in tow. The bell rang for class but we ignored it.

Mrs. Cope looked shocked as we sidestepped into the homey office. "Oh my! What happened?"

I cast the others a dirty look, daring them to speak. They got the hint. "Just a bit of an accident, Ms. Cope." I smoothly interjected into the silence. "Mike here did something stupid which resulted in this nasty welt." That was true enough. "He'll need some ice and to have this wrapped up."

"Of course, of course. Right this way, gentlemen." She waved us into a smaller division of the office where a rounded woman sat immersed in a romance novel. She too looked up in alarm as we cradled the still weak Mike Newton between us. I led him over to the raised cot and dropped him none-too-gently on his back.

"What happened to him?" She asked immediately.

I smiled. "Nothing serious. Mike happened to do something very foolish and paid for it with this bruise." Mike grunted slightly, pinching his nose with his thumb and forefinger, but didn't add anything.

"Oh dear." The nurse shook her head and mumbled under her breath and she pressed a wet rag to his nose. Mike held it in place while she glided around in her search for a cold compress. I glared at Mike who was purposefully avoiding my eyes.

The nurse turned around and shoved Tyler neatly to the door. "Shoo, shoo. You all need to go to class. Have Ms. Cope write you all passes."

"Right." I glared at Austin and Tyler until they scurried out the room to find the red-haired secretary. But before I left, I turned back to Mike. "Hope you feel better, Mike. I'll tell Bella what happened when I get to Biology. I'm sure she'd like to know…" I said coldly.

He turned paler then usual. Clearly the idea of his longtime crush finding out that he basically called her sister a whore was not enjoyable to him. Maybe that would be enough to get him to keep his mouth shut. Some how I knew there would be serious trouble if anyone found out.

I didn't think Mike made anything out of Jasper attacking him. Just a pissed off boyfriend and knee-jerk reaction to hurt the guy talking bad about his girlfriend. But I doubt he really saw Jasper Hale's face. I, on the other hand, did. There was something more to the way Jasper acted. It was like he was possessed. He didn't even look _human_ anymore.

I contemplated that as I left Mike to the nurse's care. I picked my white slip off the office desk before strolling out the tiny room. It explained that I had been helping Mike to the office and the tardy was excused. Ms. Cope waved as I let the door close shut.

There was something odd about this whole thing. I just knew it. Everything was off. Jasper punching Mike; that made sense. But his anger when to a completely new level. Speaking poorly about your girlfriend is hardly enough to warrant trying kill someone. But murder was written in his eyes. Why? What was wrong with?

I had barely taken one step towards the parking lot when a streak of white and brown stopped in front of me. As usual, Bella left me speechless. Every time I spotted her, my heart felt like it would just burst. "Bella." I choked out, ignoring the rhythmic beating in my chest. "Shouldn't you be in class?"

Her eyes were widened as she looked into my face. Sorrow etched across her flawless features. I noticed how cute she looked as her lower lip trembled. Her hand slowly came to my face, cooling it quickly. When she spoke, her voice was so heartbreaking that I wanted to cry. "You saw everything, didn't you, Edward? You saw what we are…" And with that she collapsed into my arms.

_A/n: Some people have asked this so I'd like to take the chance to address this._

_Bella Swan was Edward Cullen's singer, yes? But while most things are switched completely around to form a mirror image in my world, this is not the case now. Edward is __**not**__ Bella's singer. So sorry. If he was, Edward Masen would be dead already. Something most do not realize it Edward was almost perfect with his control. He had been going at it for over 100 years. Not to mention his rebellious phase made him even more dedicated to 'not fall off the bandwagon'. It was his guilt that led him to strive so hard so as not to taste human blood. But his singer, his tua la cantante, broke through it all. Bella has only been a vampire for 40 years (her story will get told eventually) and is not the pinnacle of perfection, like Edward Cullen was. Bella resists, yes, but her control is no better then Alice or Esme's at best. But he does appeal to her on a certain level. Like how Emmett had been met with two of his singers, but one was more potent then the other. Edward is the less potent end of that._

_Ah, but now some of you are saying "But Bella made such a big deal of her not wanting to kill Edward in Biology class when they first met!" To that I say, "Ha ha! You are pretty close!" She only had to worry about Edward like she would any other human in the room, and she had never acted that way with any of the others. But she didn't find any of the others __attractive__! BAM! She liked him. Bella was more nervous about her control then usual because she didn't want to chance hurting her first crush. Think of it like this: you are a knife thrower for a living. You toss knifes at people for money or whatever. And you are really good about not hurting them. But then this really amazing guy/girl volunteers to be the person you toss at. You realize you can't concentrate as much as usual because you are so distracted by that person. And you'd rather lose money then risk hurting them because you care so much. BOOM! Tah dah!_


	8. Joy Ride

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, New Moon, or Eclipse.**

I was completely at a loss. Bella Cullen was sobbing unaccountably on my shoulder for no apparent reason. What had she said? I knew something about them? What in the world could that mean? My thoughts were in disarray.

Somehow I knew this all connected to the Jasper incident, but it didn't really register at the moment. Bella Cullen was pressed against my chest. I was holding_ Bella Cullen_. Nothing else seemed important in the world. Who cares why Jasper tried to kill Mike? What did it matter if something odd was going on? Only the brunette in my arms seemed important at the moment. Ah, damned hormones.

The little red flag in my brain was going off. What did that mean? Ah yes, that something was wrong. What it was, I had no idea. But something was up. And as far as I knew from Alice and Emmett's reactions, the whole Cullen/Hale family was in on it. But how did I get myself involved in this?

"Bella?" I pet the top of her head soothingly. She buried her face farther into my sweater. Each inch of my body was urging to pull her into a passionate embrace. Focus, Edward focus! Bella needs you right now. I grudgingly suppressed the adolescent tendencies. "Bella, what's wrong? What happened?"

But she just shook her head stubbornly. I continued to stroke her hair comfortingly as I waited for her to talk. Her thick brown bangs became plastered to her forehead. I looked up to discover it had begun to rain. Wow, I must have been out of it. I brandished droplets from my own hair messily, tightening my light hold around her waist.

In my arms, Bella seemed so fragile. So tiny. Her entire frame quivered as she took in haphazard gulps of air. I toppled over her by a good 8-10 inches, at least. Her little pale hands clung greedily into my sweater, seeking comfort. And I was under the impression that should I pick her up in my arms, she would weight no more then a backpack. Even dripping wet.

"Bella, please talk to me." I gently placed my lips to the top of her head. She was acting as if she was so frightened. Fear crept within me, radiating from her. "I can't help you if I don't know what's wrong. And I want to help. So help me help you."

The shaking had come to a halt now. "Oh Edward." Her voice always made my voice sound like a thousand diamonds spilling from her angle lips. My name always sounded best when she said. And I wanted her to say it often. My name and mine alone.

One of her hands released my clothes and slid up my torso. She held my face in her icy palm, bringing my eyes down to hers. I knew she was debating about something. Bella wanted to tell me something, I could tell, but why was she so conflicted?

"You know you can tell me anything, right? Nothing could lower my opinion of you. Nothing."

She nodded with a slight smile. "I don't think I have a choice anymore, Edward. You understand me so well. You know when I'm frightened and need to be held. And I appreciate it, I really do. For so long I've felt alone. No person had been able to dig under my skin in such a way as you. You make me want to open up to you." Bella's eyes widened. "But is that really a good thing?" She whispered almost to herself. "It's not to get you involved in this. If Alice would have just let me avoid you… Well, what's done is done."

Bella shook her head with a quiet sigh. I leaned down a bit, letting my face hang inches above hers. She flinched back making me pull away, thinking I had invaded her spaced.

"No, please don't back away from me," She murmured softly. Her timid tone, so nervous, pulled at my heartstrings. "I… I couldn't stand it if you left me all alone. I need you too much. So… will you consent to have me?"

I laughed shakily. "That is... the must ridiculous thing I have ever heard." I felt her muscles tighten. "If I'll consent to have you? Can you not see how very enamored I am with you? I want to be here for you. And I will be here for you. But first you have to open up to me, Bella. Don't hold back." I traced her translucent skin lightly. My fingers trailed up her arm and over her slumped shoulders before following her collarbone. The intimacy of touching her was not lost on me.

"I meant it when I said I wanted to know everything about you, Isabella Cullen," I quietly reminded her. "Every detail. Your past, present, and what you want for the future. I want to know what makes you tick. I want to know what makes you smile. I want to know what makes you cry." I laughed humorlessly. "I want to know it all. And only you are the person who can tell it all."

"What if I tell you something you don't want to hear?"

My heart sunk. Something I did not want to hear? I was being pushy, wasn't I? This must be her way of telling me. She didn't feel the same way. How could I have been so blinded! I responded hollowly, "I would still listen. And… I think I deserve the right to know."

"Even if it makes you not like me anymore?"

"I will always like you, Bella. Do not forget that. Just tell me the truth," I pleaded. "Please."

I felt like I was tottering over the edge of a knife with Bella. She likes me, she doesn't like me; she likes me, she doesn't like me. Dangling on the point is a dangerous way to live. I didn't want to be split down the middle. I wanted Bella to just say the words that would set my over one edge or the other.

Bella sighed again. Her eyes turned away towards the forest. When she spoke, it was like she was coming to me from far away. "I can't believe I let this go on for so long."

"Neither can I."

I didn't mean to snap at her, but I needed her to just get this over with. Screw my feelings. There was nothing she could say that would make this any easier, so why just come out with it? End it now. Painlessly, before my hopes could get any higher.

Her eyes widened. "Are you angry with me?"

"No, I'm angry at myself." I covered my eyes with my hand, fighting a mirage. "I'm trying to be a good sport about this, but can you stop dragging it out? Just say it, Bella. Let me get on with my life."

She matched the venom in my voice. "Do you not understand how hard this is to say, Edward? I'm trying to find the right words but… I don't want to say them." Her voice dropped to a whisper I had to strain to hear. "I don't want to say the words that will send you away. I'm being selfish for wanting to keep you around when I know this won't work but-"

"But nothing. There are no 'right words' to say it." My temper was on the rise now. This was my own self-defense. Anger winning out of sadness. "You want me gone? Fine. I'm gone. Good luck with the rest of your life, Bella." I took a step back, pulling my arms of her waist. My arms were on fire without her cool flesh.

"Dammit Edward! I don't want you gone! That why I'm having this dilemma!" She gripped my wrist with surprising strength. "You can't know what I am going through right now!" Bella hissed.

"Don't I?" I challenged. "How could I not? Do you understand even the tiniest bit how much I like you, Bella? I actually think I'm in love with you! Okay? Happy now? This is so hard on me right now because I care about you so much!" She let go of me with a shocked expression. "So just say it. You don't like me how I like you. Fine!"

Bella's fist clenched tightly. "When will you get it through your thick skull, Masen?" She growled through her gritted teeth. "Clearly I like you just as much as you seem to like me! That's why I don't want to tell you! You'll leave me! I know you will! You- you just don't understand what I am going through! You jerk!

"This isn't fair, Edward. I like you. I_ really_ like you. More then I care to admit. But it's not going to work out. As much as I wish it would, it can't. I'm… I'm not your type." She lamely explained.

I was frozen. "You actually do like me back?"

"Yes, you idiot! That's what I am trying to make you understand!"

"Then why won't this work out? And please, give me a better excuse then you're not my type."

"Just trust me on this."

Oh no, she was not getting out of this that easy. "How can I trust you on this when you're still withholding something from me? If you actually did care about me, you wouldn't keep secrets from me." She bit her lip. "What could be so horrible that you won't tell me? Bella, please. Nothing could possibly keep me away from you."

She played with a strand of her hair. "So you say now. You will leave; trust me. And I wouldn't blame you. It would be for the best. In fact, if I do tell you, maybe then you would understand why you should leave me alone." Bella looked at me sadly. "I've never been so conflicted. I want you to do the smart thing by leaving, but I also want you to be stupid enough to stay with me. Does that make any sense?"

"None at all. But it also doesn't make sense that you really think I'll leave you." I shrugged. "Bella, now that I know you care about me, you'll be hard pressed to find anyway to keep me away. You're stuck with me for life."

I thought I heard her mumbled something that sounded like "For your life anyway" before she laid her head against my chest again.

"Here's an idea," I proposed. "Why don't you just tell me? Let me prove to you that nothing could scare me away."

Bella chuckled bitterly. "Yes, maybe I shall let you be the judge of that. I just love to hurt myself." Without another word, she pulled me by the hand, nearly dragging me to still full parking lot. It was rather uncomfortable to walk in wet clothes, but I managed to keep pace with her.

She stopped next to the Civic, waiting for me to unlock the car. I pulled out my keys from my pocket, but Bella snatched them quickly. She winked and opened the front door. I conceded defeat and jumped into the passenger seat.

"Where are we going, my dear kidnapper?"

Bella smirked. "You'll see when we get there."

I could tell that was all the reply I was going to get. So I strapped on my seatbelt and leaned back for the ride.

**A/N: Short, yes. I needed filler.**


	9. Reintroductions

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Twilight Series.**

_A/n: This chapter is dedicated to my friend Brandi. Congrats! And to all you who wanted Bella to take Edward to the meadow, I laugh at you. No, Bella has a special spot all her own. The meadow would have been too cliché. Plus, how do you suppose Bella would get him there? I hardly think she would carry him. -snort- So! I introduce, the Field! _

The silence in the car was deafening. A blaring, yet not necessarily uncomfortable silence. It was more of a nervous quiet. Each second the atmosphere grew thicker with anticipation. But still, the hush in the car refused to be broken. Neither one of us said a word. I, for one, had no idea what to say.

I was, for lack of a better word, being kidnapped by a girl I had just met to an unknown location. The city kid in me, the boy who grew up Chicago, knew there was something wrong with going off with a stranger. Something stupid like this in a big city could result in harsh consequences. Actual kidnappings, rape incidents… murder. Those types of things were always in the news. Everyday, someone, somewhere, had a crime committed against him or her.

Yet as I watched the tree pass by one by one, I knew big city rules just didn't apply here. An area as rural as this one was sure to have a low crime rate. Peaceful. Relatively safe, even. As far as I knew, anyway.

To preoccupy myself, I took to watching the tiny orange hand on the speedometer quiver as Bella lightly pressed the gas. She drove a bit faster then acceptable by law, but not by much. We were comfortably zipping along at 60 mph. Slower then my tastes, but not snails pace at least.

As a fellow driver, I could appreciate Bella's precise driving. The car never swayed an inch over the yellow line as she drove; the speed never altered a fraction. Her little pale fingers held the steering wheel with a simple grip with the occasional drumming motion. Her posture was lax, lazy but somehow still graceful. Like a swan floating with ease on a pond surface.

I had long since learned that a person's features, their face especially, could be used to read a person. Their feelings, their desires, their thoughts. I was like dipping into a person's soul. Learning what they felt about everything. It came in handy when you wanted to understand a person.

But Bella… It was like she was immune to me. I couldn't read anything from her. Even as I observed her from the corner of my eye, I got nothing. No reception at all. And it annoyed me. The one person I actually want to get to know better, and I was clueless to her thoughts and feelings. It was a bit off-putting.

My mother was the complete and total opposite. I could read what she didn't say with no problem. She was an open book. Her face, and eyes especially, always gave her away. Since as far as I could remember, my mother had taken to hiding how she felt. She kept everything to herself so as to not bother anyone else. Like the burden was hers alone to bear. Ha. And she said I got that side of myself from my father.

So finding out what she meant when she said one thing to mean another became necessary. She needed me. But how was I to know if she was hurting unless she let me know? It was very difficult. I could now understand her every thought. If something was bothering her, I knew in an instant. Years of practice led to a deep bond with my mother. And the awaking of this little talent.

I shifted in my seat. Bella smiled a tiny smile, her eyes holding an air of laughter. "Getting impatient?" I only nodded curtly, to which she chuckled. "Don't get so antsy. We'll be there eventually." Bella then turned thoughtful, her eyes seeming to space out.

"And would it be any trouble to tell me where 'there' is? You can hardly blame me for not liking to be kept in the dark," I muttered.

She sighed and half turned to me. Still, Bella managed to not deviate an inch from her path. "You said we should talk, and we will. You'll understand once we get there." She paused as my face darkened at the nameless destination. Her face twitched at the corners. "Come now, Edward, patience is a virtue," she reminded me. Without another word, she twisted her fingers around my own.

I grinned at the irony, for virtue was the last thing on my mind with her skin in contact with mine. Those damn hormones were kicking in again. "I'm not too big on patience, dear Bella, something you will learn in time. Life's simply too short to waste." I began tracing circles on my icy flesh. When she shivered, I couldn't help but to grin.

She drew my eyes away from our entwined arms to her face. Her smile was nothing short of heavenly, kicking my heartbeat into overdrive. "As you get older, you'll realize that life is drawn out and time is always ticking too slowly. Everything seems to slow down when needed. Time almost stands still." At this, Bella flipped our hands over at lightening speed. She ran her thin fingers across my palm, tracing the age lines. Now it was my turn to shiver. She must have noticed, a tiny gleam in her eyes. "But you'll see that more as years go by."

I noticed that she spoke with an air of wisdom far beyond her youth. In a reserved, docile tone that implied years of experience. Far more then her petite body could have actually undergone. She smirked when I told her so.

"I've lived beyond my years, trust me on that Edward. You'd be surprised by all the things I've went through in my lifetime." Then she turned stony. "Just consider me very mature for my age. Much more then my face expresses." She then changed the subject. "We're almost there. Just a few more miles."

I looked out the front window, trying to get a slight understanding as to where we were. However, even if I hadn't just moved here, I doubt I could be able to tell where we were. All I saw were trees, trees, and -big surprise there- more trees. As far as I could tell, we were near a forest. So that meant we were… somewhere -anywhere- in Forks. Urgh. How could the locals ever find their way when everything looked the same?

Just then, Bella's cell phone rang. She groaned and untangled her hand from mine to retrieve a small, silver phone from her pocket, the other still on the steering wheel. I frowned at my now-empty hand, missing the cool feeling of her skin. She gave me an apologetic frown and flipped her phone open, holding it to her ear. "Hello?"

Bella's face darkened as the phone over the voice answered, too quiet for me to hear. "Do me a favor and stop prying. It's my future. I'll handle this the best I can." She paused for a second. "No. Don't you dare. I'll tell them when I'm ready. No, I won't keep this from them too long. I swear." Bella's face lost a little color. Her voice dropped an octave as she replied to the person over the phone. "Are you sure? 100 percent positive? Urgh. You know what I mean. Are you sure it's not changing? Yes, I understand." With a growl, she snapped the phone shut and slid it into her pocket.

"What was that about?" I asked as my hand found hers again.

"Nothing important. Just family business." She shook her head when I gave her a questioning look. "Forget it. I'll explain later, promise."

"Fine." I would hold her to that. I was sick of the secrets with her.

A few minutes later, she stopped the car. I assessed our location. Once again, trees. But I could also distinctly hear a running river somewhere close by. The area was clearly inside the woods, and far away from civilization. The thick Red Woods closed in from every direction besides the one we came from. I hadn't even noticed that we had gone off road but sure enough I could see no paved roads from the way we came.

Bella shut off the engine and exited the car. I followed her example. She met me in front of the car. "Okay, we aren't quite there," She admitted at she shrugged out of her raincoat. She rolled up the sleeves of her ivory turtleneck and pointed to our right. "Where I want to show you is not too deep in that way. Only a quarter mile. So we better get going." She locked her hand in mine as she started out.

I followed slightly behind, keeping pace with her with not much difficulty. Every once and a while, she would turn her head to look at me and smile. My heart melted every time, stopping then working overtime within a split second. Her fingers would tighten around mine then but she would never break stride.

True to her word, we came to a field after a few minuets. It was a tiny patch of grassland devoid of trees except the ones that distinguished the border between the field and the forest. A stream flowed right next to the grassy spot. The larger of trees that lined the area provided plentiful shade in this area. A small waterfall poured water into the stream, babbling soothingly as white bubbles were expelled. The occasional wildflower made this place look untamed yet perfectly in harmony with nature. Beautiful.

Bella came to a halt in the middle of the field. She fell to the ground, lying out on her back in the slightly overgrown grass. Now the field had an angel gracing it's borders, making it shimmer and much more beautiful then before. Bella reached up for my hand in a childish gesture to join her. I took it and allowed her to pull me down beside her.

For the longest time, we didn't say anything. Why ruin the tranquility? The moment was perfect. The two of us, lying out next to each other. Hand in hand, merely enjoying each other's company. It truly seemed as though no one else existed in the world. And it was a heaven on earth. With my own personal angel. How blessed could I be?

Bella sighed and angled her body so she was propped up on her elbow and facing me. I mimicked her. "I guess now is the time for talking, huh?" She sounded reluctant but resigned.

I leaned forward, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Yes, it is." I held my head up with my hand, watching her every movement.

"Where to begin, where to begin…" Bella rolled onto her stomach, her face on top of her crossed arms. She kicked her legs back and forth in the air as she contemplated. Her hair tumbled out of its braid. I took it upon myself to untie her hair. She didn't protest as I unraveled the twist down her back. Her lavishing locks floated about her then. My task finished, I stroked her head tenderly.

"How about the beginning, love?" I offered, nervous with her continued silence.

"Ah, the beginning…" Bella plucked a little blue flower from the ground as she spoke. Her voice was far away when she spoke again. "Edward, what do you see when you look at me?"

It was an innocent enough question, but I could not see how it was relevant. Very curious, I answered as best I could. "An enchanting young woman. A smile always graces your face, adding to your beauty. Incomparable beauty. A gentle aura hangs about you, inviting others in. Everything about you suggests kindness and angelic tendencies. To put it simply, you're an angel."

Bella didn't say anything for a few minutes. When she did speak, her words sounded bitter. "An angel, you say? Edward, you could not be farther from the truth, I assure you. Angel I am not."

I shrugged and caressed her hair. "I've learned nothing to contradict that, Bella. Believe me Bella, you are a goddess. And not only in looks. You are the single most amazing person I've ever met. And I don't praise people lightly. Trust that."

Her eyes flashed. "How can you say that? You hardly know me. We've only just met. I'm basically a stranger to you."

I sat up. "A stranger? Not at all. Yes, we've known each other for a short time, but I feel as though I've known you all my life. Like we had met before in another world. But it matters not. I know you well enough to know that there are few souls kinder then you, Bella."

"Or so you think."

"So I know."

"Well then," she snapped, "what if I told you the opposite was true? That I am not kind. That I am not sweet. That I am not an angel."

"I wouldn't believe you," I stated firmly.

Bella laughed diversely. "Edward, open your eyes. Learn to believe the truth and not the lie. An angel? No, the farthest thing from. I'm a monster." She hissed venomously.

I stared at her. "What are you taking about, Bella? You are not a monster-"

"But I am," she interrupted. "What I am is a monster in the purest meaning of the word. Don't you _see_ Edward? Can't you tell? Are you so blind not to see there is something very unusual myself and my family?" She jumped to her feet was lightening speed, not waiting for an answer. "We aren't normal! We are monsters, Edward! We aren't human!"

I was frozen in that second as I processed what she said. Still, it made no sense. I tried the words out loud to see if it would help in any way. "What do you mean? Not human… What do you mean by that?"

"It's exactly how it sounds." Bella turned her back from me. She stared to pace and then took off. Once second she was there, the next she was gone. But in the time it took me to blink, she became visible again. She gave a lithe bow, her eyes hard. "Can a human move as quickly as I can?" Bella asked in a mocking voice.

She dashed in front of a large, thick, Red Wood tree. Bella slapped her palm to it. At her touch, the tree was shoved backwards at an alarming rate, dragging its roots with it right out of the ground. The huge plant stopped ten feet deep into the surrounding forest, falling with a sickening thud. Bella turned back to me with a wave. "Are humans as strong as I am?"

Then she was suddenly right in front of me. I couldn't move, my body in complete shock. "Look at me Edward." Her voice was drenched with sadness and pleading. "I dare you to tell me again that I am not a monster. I dare you to let that lie spill from your mouth. I dare you to call me an angel again. For the only kind of angel I am is the angel of death."

When I didn't say anything, she scoffed. Her hair flicked around her as she walked to the forest edge. "So now you see me for what I am. A creature of the night trying to blend in with a society of humans. An inhuman being without a soul. A monster of night. A murdering, vile, beast. Some_thing_ more fit for horror movies then real life."

Bella crossed her arms with a bitter smile. "So let's play a little guessing game Edward. I know how smart you are. What prowls around at night? It is one of the most feared monsters in the world. Legends about this creature are as old as time itself. They never age. They are the living dead." She paused. "And, this one will give it away, they drink blood. So tell me: what am I? Take a guess. It's not hard." Her mouth was a tight line.

I swallowed hard. The gesture allowed air to surge down my windpipe again. My throat now unclosed, I was gained back the ability to speak. And I uttered the word hanging on my tongue as I watched her display and heard her clues. "Vampire," I weakly responded.

Her expression was no longer mocking. Now it was tainted and impassive. "Ding, ding, ding," she chanted in a malice-filled voice. "We have a winner. Sorry, but we have no prize for you."

My brain wasn't working. The words '_Bella_', '_inhuman_', '_dead_', and '_vampire_' kept floating around in there. They swam in no particular arrangement, trying desperately to make sense but failing utterly. It was all a muddled puddle.

I just couldn't wrap my mind around it. Bella, my Bella, was dead. She wasn't human. No… How could this be possible? Was this some sick joke? A sitcom perhaps? The girl I was dating is a _vampire_!

Looking back, there were signs. Subtle ones, but they were still there. Little things that were only just now registering. How beautiful Bella and her family were. How they disappeared on sunny days. How they spoke as if they were not from this time period. How they are living in their own little world. They _were_ in a world of their own, a world not meant for humans.

Not meant for me.

But then…

"Bella," my voice sounded hoarse, even to me. I made an effort to clear it. I attempted again. "Bella, what does this mean for… us?" What would happen now? How could this end. I cringed. Besides the obvious. Anything but the obvious.

"What do you think it means?" Her tone harsh as she refused to look at me. "This is no _us_. Not anymore. Nor should there ever have been. This was doomed from the get go. A clichéd romance that never was. Just like I thought it would be.

"And so it ends.

"It's been nice while it lasted, Edward. You can trust this is the last time we'll met." She stated matter-of-factly. "After Jasper's almost slip up and this fiasco, I think it's safe to assume we'll be moving soon. Of course, I can't tell you where. I don't even know yet. I'll have to ask Alice later. Maybe she knows already. Hopefully somewhere-"

"Stop."

She listened, stopping mid-ramble. I recognized her rambling as a sign of sadness. When one is nervous or scared, it was normal for the person to talk uncontrollably, trying to block out their feelings. At least, it was normal for humans. I didn't have the slightest idea what was normal for… vampires.

I took a deep breath. "What do you mean, you're leaving?"

"Well we can hardly stay here now that you know. We can not blend in here when someone knows what we are." Bella spoke as if it should be obvious.

Now I could feel a grudging anger bubbling inside of me. "So that's it? You're just leaving me? Just… ending it!?"

Her voice was ice. "It was ended before it started. Humans and monsters don't mix."

I had had enough of this. I stomped over to where she stood stiffly. I grabbed her shoulders roughly and turned her towards me. Her arms locked around her body, as if she was breaking into pieces. Her eyes were downcast as I spoke to her.

"Damn it Bella! I've just met you and I'll be damned if I'm going to lose you!" I didn't even know I was shouting. I glared at her, unsuccessfully trying to calm myself. "You're not leaving. End of story. What part of 'I'm falling in love with you' didn't you get?"

"And what part of 'I'm a monster' didn't _you_ get?"

The way she said it shook me. A deep hatred rang in her words. But… not deflected at me. Then at what? At… herself? Self-loathing…"Oh, Bella…" I closed my arms around her form. She was unresponsive, but that didn't matter to me. I was content to have her in my arms. "I'm falling in love with you Bella. What you are… it doesn't change anything."

Even as I spoke the words, I knew them to be true. It didn't change anything at all. It was too late now anyway. I was in love with her. I loved her. I loved everything about her. So what did it matter if she wasn't human? Did that make her any less Bella? Was she any less kind? Was she any less charming? Was she any less wonderful? Not at all.

Love is irrevocable and uncontrollable. That was all there was to it. Once you fell in love, nothing could change your love for that person. It was to last forever. That was how I felt for Bella. I would love her till the end of the world. Till the end of the universe. And it still wouldn't be long enough.

"It doesn't matter. Nothing matters. I love you. That is all that counts."

"Are you insane!?" Bella broke from the cage of my arms. Her hands were clenched in fists. "It doesn't _matter_? Do you have a death wish? Did you not see what I am capable of? How easily I could rip out your throat?! How quickly I could _kill_ you?!"

We both froze as that word slipped out. Once the tense moment had passed, Bella took a step farther from me. "Trust me, my family's leaving is for the best all around."

"It wouldn't be best for me." I took two steps closer to her.

She shook her head, her eyes wide. "Edward… please. You-you don't seem to understand. I could hurt you so easily. And that's the last thing I want to do. You might not survive if I lost control."

"I don't care." Two more steps.

"Well I care. I won't let myself hurt you. So please, stop endangering yourself. Just… let me go." Bella was begging now.

"Not a chance." Now I was right in front of her. I held her arms to her sides, not wanting to let her escape me again. "I won't let you leave me. Did I not warn you before? You're stuck with me. And I know you won't hurt me. You could only hurt me if you left." I cut her off before she could protest. "I've been alone with you so many times. You could have killed me. No one would have been any the wiser. But you haven't yet."

"Yet," she agreed reluctantly. "But that's not to say I won't. I'm dangerous. Please, try to understand that."

"I already told you. It doesn't matter to me. It's far too late."

"Don't say that!" She shrieked. Bella shook her head, as if trying to block out my words. "Don't! You… you can't mean that. It's never too late. I could still leave. So… don't say that."

I nodded solemnly. "I love you. So it is far too late for me to let you go. Believe me when I say that." I pulled her body against mine. They fit together perfectly. Like two pieces of a puzzle. She completed me. And without her, I was nothing. "You are my life now. You're the only thing it would hurt to lose. So… stay."

"Don't," she whimpered. "I-I have to go."

I arched over her tiny frame. "I won't let you. Unless you want to leave me. If you want to be rid of me, tell me. Then I'll be gone. I won't force my company on you if you don't desire it. Tell me you don't want me and I shall never burden you again." It would hurt, but I meant what I said. I would stay by her side until she no longer wanted me there.

"Don't, Edward." She held her hand to my chest, standing on the tips of her toes to get closer to me. "Don't-"

"Tell me you honestly want me gone."

"I…," she sighed. "I can't. I do want you. I love you but-"

"That is all I needed to hear." And our lips collided.

_A/n: Something I would just like you all to know. Bella has a huge problem with being older then Edward, even though it is not physically. This is not much different then Bella of Twilight not liking to age beyond Edward._

_Also! I'm sure some of you noticed a few borrowed phrases from the Twilight series. They were all over and randomly used. I can't be sure if I paraphrased or not since they were all used from memory._


	10. A Taste of Heroine

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Twilight series**

_A/n: I actually had this chapter written out before I had the last one. And I've been dying to post it. Remember: reviews make me smile. So review, dammit! -shmiley face-_

And our lips collided.

It was one of those moments were everything in your life just seems to fit perfectly into place. The kind where you almost expect heavenly music to play from above with the accompanied light bathing everything in shimmering gold. Like in a movie. All the bad just vanishes, leaving only the good. Every wonderful detail of your life is aglow. Illuminated. Shining. Magical.

Kissing Bella was… ah, there weren't even words for it. Should I even try to describe it?

She tasted sweet. Oh-so very sweet. And dangerously addictive. She was a drug to me. The most appealing kind. And cool. Pleasantly cool. Like frozen candy. To her coolness, a fire was lit inside of me. Burning, reaching, aching. A flame that she lit. A flame that burned for Bella. A flame that yearned to devourer more. To devourer her whole. All of her.

Kissing her was the single most amazing feeling in the world. If there was ever a moment where I though I could be floating, surely I was two inches off the ground just now. My heart made me feel like I was running a marathon. Pounding in a distinct drumming, so loud, I was sure Bella could hear it loud and clear. That is, if she couldn't feel it, we were so close together. Yet it was essential that she be closer.

I think it was in that instant that my instincts kicked in. My arms locked around her petite waist, creating an iron-grip cage. I pulled her even closer. Her chest was shoved against my own in my haste to have her closer. There was no gap between our bodies. Still, I had to have her closer. I _needed _her closer.

My analogy to a drug was proved to the fullest extent with our lips against each other's. I not only desired her. I needed her. The most powerful of urges. A physical need to have her. I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I would die without her. The idea of even letting go to breathe was painful. Should I have my choice, I would never release her. The world could keep on moving, but I would stay firmly planted to her succulent mouth.

Unfortunately, Bella choose that second to make her strength better known. She shoved me. Just a flick of her hand, but I was shoved backwards, stumbling. I bend over; my hands on my knees, catching my well needed breathe. I was actually panting from that kiss.

I looked up to see Bella, once again, at the farthest edge of the field. She was huddled on the ground, her hands holding her face, her hair flailing about her as she shook her head. I noticed that her frame shook. Then it registered that she was sobbing. My stomach dropped then.

"Bella?" I cautiously stepped towards her.

"Stay away, Edward!" She shrieked forcefully. I was frozen from the urgency in her voice. "Just stay right there! Don't you dare take another step towards me!"

I obeyed, folding my hands behind my back, as I watched the tiny creature try to pull herself together. I couldn't understand what had created this reaction from her. I thought back to the kiss. She seemed to be enjoying it. I could have sworn Bella even had kissed me back. But then… why was she like this now? Did she regret it? Had it been a mistake, on her part?

That was the only explanation I could think of. Bella was still considering leaving me. And now I had just screwed up royally. Clearly, I had made a mistake. If she had wanted me to kiss her, she wouldn't have run away. She wouldn't be sobbing as she was now. I cursed to myself for hurting such a beautiful young woman.

I ran my fingers through my mess of hair, my eyes unable to leave Bella's shaking form. I couldn't help but to think how unfair it all was. I fall in love with a girl. She obviously has feeling for me too, or so she says. Then said girl turns out to be a vampire. As beautiful as she is deadly. Before I could blink, she could kill me, from what I had seen of her talents.

But, for as dangerous as she was, I still didn't want to leave her. It was beyond stupid, really. She could be the death of me. But I would die without her as well. Should she… slip up, as she put it, well, that would be it. And honestly, how could I blame her? I was a stubborn human, her food source, who simply wasn't smart enough to keep my distance. If Bella did kill me, I would be to blame.

Cats eat mice. Lions eat meat. Vampires eat humans, in a manner of speaking. That was how things worked out. The circle of life. We didn't choose to be what we were, but that doesn't mean we should try to change it. If Bella were to drink my blood, it wouldn't be her fault. It was instinct. And I was a source of nutrition. A little crude to think of, but it was nature at work.

Instead of feeling sick at the thought of the girl I love draining a human's body, of taking their life, I could see nothing wrong with it. Okay, maybe those weren't the right words for it. Since she was a vampire, it was normal to drink blood. Horrifying to humans, but customary for her race. I could accept that, right?

It was strange how quickly I could wrap my mind around the thought of Bella -of her whole family- being vampires. I always knew there was something special about her, but I didn't consider that she wasn't alive. And if I did suspect her of not being human, her being an angel would have gotten my vote.

Suddenly, I was curious about vampires. There were so many thinks I wondered about. Did they really have fangs? I had never seen them with Bella. What about the sunlight? Could they really melt? And I thought vampires would be dark creatures, gothic in a way. But Bella and Alice -I cringed; my best friend was a vampire too- were anything but. They were cheerful and bright. Happy and sweet.

I was fascinated at the thought of a family of mythological creatures living in my same town. The stuff of legends lived as a houseful of high schools. Honestly, it sounded like a horror novel. _My Lab Partner's a Vampire!_ The title came to mind. It was laughable. I wondered vaguely if I was going into hysterics.

Finally, Bella's quivering stopped. I stood perfectly still as she slowly rose from the ground. The first things I noticed were her eyes. Yet again, they were a murky version of the breathtaking topaz I had come to adore. The dark lines under her eyes were fuller now, more pronounced. And her mouth was in a tight frown. I waited for her to say something.

Finally, she broke the silence. "Are you stupid, Masen? Do you have any idea what could have happened? Do you know how close I was to-to losing control!" Her hands were once again balled up. She glared at me fiercely, rage obvious on her face. She was too adorable when she was angry. I smiled back.

"Well," I started, tapping my chin. "As an answer to the first question: maybe. What could have happened? I have a vague notion. And I don't have the slightest idea about your control, but from your sudden departure, I would hazard a guess at pretty good." Her mouth hung open. "If your control wasn't good," I continued nonchalantly, "I would be dead by now, no?"

Bella simply stared at me for the longest time. Her eyes were wide at my simple tone as had I spoken so calmly about what could have been my death. Perhaps she thought I was crazy. For all I knew, I may have been.

"You're not sane," she mumbled was an air of shock. "You know I could have killed you, yet here you stand, cool as you please, as if it was the average outcome to a kiss. A possible murder. Your murder."

I shrugged. "Technically, I suppose it is a probable outcome when one is kissing a vampire. Then again, control, as you stated, would come into the equation. As well as thirst, right?" Bella nodded her head lightly. "Well, are you thirsty?" It was a strange thing to ask when I knew perfectly well what was the only liquid that could satisfy a vampire. Thankfully, she shook her head. I smirked.

"But that doesn't mean I can't mess up." She interrupted. "You don't understand. Our… thirst isn't only present when we haven't feed. It's always there when we are around humans. Nagging, in the back of out minds, to sink our teeth into the soft flesh." She frowned. "Don't get too confident. I may… you may die yet." Bella whispered.

"You say that as if I shook be afraid." And I was a bit, but I don't want to hurt her feelings. I wanted her to stick around, to feel she could be honest about what she was. I didn't want her to think I would just up and abandon her because she wasn't alive.

"You should be." She paused. "But you aren't. Such a strange human…"

"We all die eventually." Perhaps not at seventeen years old, but that was beside the point.

She echoed my thought. "Not at seventeen. You're still young. You're whole life ahead of you. Family, friends, people who care about you. How would they react if you were to just… die? You know it would kill your mother to lose you."

Ah, that was the weakness in my façade. I turned my eyes downwards, for once not being able to come up with a response. She nodded her head in an understanding way. "You see? Don't be so foolish as to throw away your life. And over something as pathetic as a monster, you must be joking-"

That angered me. "Don't you think for even one second that you aren't just as important to me as my life. I know what you are. I know what you could do to me. I know what your instincts are telling you to do. And still I refuse to leave you. Does that not prove how much I need you. How much I love you? That I would rather die then be away from you."

"You don't know what you're saying!"

"Oh, don't I?"

"How long do you honestly think this will last?" Bella hissed. "My control, ha! It's only a matter of time before I lose it. And then what? You will be dead! Don't. Be. Foolish! Leave while you still have the chance."

I sighed. "You need to listen more. I told you. It's too late. I can't leave you. End of discussion, Bella." I beckoned her over. "Now, since the cat's out of the bag, how about you finally open up to me. I want to know everything about you. All of it. So start talking

Bella hesitated for a second before joining me back in the center of the grass. I sat and she mimicked. "What do you want to know?" She blocked.

I rolled my eyes. "Let us start with the basics before we dive into your past. Tell me everything about being a vampire. You don't seem like the vampires from the movies."

She laughed reluctantly at that. "Those vampires are ridiculous. So fake. Books like _Dracula_ are the biggest joke within my family. How humans have such imaginations is beyond me. I mean, honestly."

"So, separate fact from fiction, love." I rested my head on my hand as I watched her.

"Well, for starters, we don't melt in the sun." Bella looked up at the sky. "But we do have a strange reaction to it. You see, we sparkle, in a way." She held up a hand, as I was about to interrupt. "Let me finish. Now, I'm sure you've noticed how cold my skin is, right? It comes from the lack of blood in out body." She grimaced. "We have blood in us, sure, but strictly from feeding… Our bodies do not produce blood like humans do.

"Your body gives you the warmth you possess. We don't have it, thus we are cold." She took my hand in hers. I shivered, but not from the low temperature of her skin. "We are also quite solid. Like granite, really. That's why it's so ridiculous that humans think a wooden stake can kill us. It would shatter on contact. I doubt anything a human could do could ever hurt us. So, in recap, we sparkle, we're cold, and we're basically living stone. Got it?"

"You sound like a diamond. Sparkling, tough, and cool to touch. But mostly beautiful." I smiled. "I'd love to see you sparkle sometime."

She grinned. "It's a strange sight. And very distracting. Prisms of light bounce off us like little rainbows. That's why humans can't see us in the sun. It's beautiful but so very inhuman. We'd stand out for sure."

"As if you don't already." I thought back to how her whole family didn't fit in with the average students of Forks High. "Your family sticks out like a sore thumb. Not in a bad way, but it makes you all seem different from the rest of the town."

She crossed her ankles. "Yes, I know. It's another trait of ours. We're beautiful." Bella stated modestly. "It's so we may draw in humans, our intended prey. Another tool that makes it so unfair. We don't need it to be so easy to murder innocents." Her face darkened. "Aren't you curious as to why we try to blend in with humans?"

"Yes. Why do you bother?" They were much better then the humans. Why try to be what they exceeded over? It seemed pointless.

"We don't like being monsters. Killing humans… it doesn't sit well with our family." She drew herself up proudly. "I can happily say I've never drunk from a human since I was first changed."

I raised an eyebrow. "Two questions: when you say changed, that means you were once human?"

"Yes. That is something Hollywood got right. If a vampire bites you, you can be changed into one of them. But it's an odd process, one I don't feel like explaining. But rest assured, all vampires were once human." Bella plucked a flower and placed it behind my ear. My heart picked up speed again. "And the other question?"

I blinked a few times, trying to refocus. "Err, right. You said you hadn't fed off a human since you were changed. How does that work? Don't you need blood to survive?"

Bella laid her head on my shoulder. I reached my arm around her. "We do need blood to survive. But who said it had to be human?" She laughed at my confused expression. "Animals have blood too. And did we not eat animals as humans? It's our more humane diet. Our family calls ourselves vegetarian vampires, a joke among us. Sadly, we are in the minority when it comes to our food source. The others of our kind stick to the more well-known ways."

"So you don't drink from humans?" I asked, euphorically.

She took a second to answer. "No, we don't. But, like I said, it's all a matter of control. Human blood still tempts us. You have no idea how sweet it smells. We can survive off animals, but humans smell so much better since they are the ones nature decided we would feed from. Mistakes can happen."

Bella fell back into a pool of despair then. Wanting to take her mind off her depression, I changed the subject. "Before, you mentioned others of your kind. How many of them are there?"

"Not too many. I can't be sure the exact number. Most of the older of our kind reside in Europe. They just don't adjust to the century well, still considering America the 'New World' and foreign to them. They stubbornly refuse to change, even after hundreds of years."

"Wait, hundreds of years?"

She beamed. "Yes. Several vampires are hundreds upon hundreds of years old. Appearances are deceiving, Edward. And before you ask, I'll will tell you my actual age. But the story of my human life is for another time." She pointed upwards. "The sun will be setting soon. I'm sure your mother is growing impatient. Though I'm sure Alice saw this coming and called to make something up."

I stood up and offered her my hand. "Saw this coming?"

Bella allowed me to help her up and we started to walk hand in hand to the Civic. "Yes. Something else about vampires I forgot to mention. Vampires had special powers. Carlisle, my father, has a theory about it. He believes we carry our most powerful trait from our human lives and it is magnified several times over now.

"When Alice was human, she had a nifty little talent of seeing things before they happened. She could foresee certain things." Bella shrugged her shoulders. "She was born in the early 1900s, a time when being different was looked down upon. Alice's little gift got her a cell in a mental institution. Long story short, she was taken away from there and bitten by a vampire. And now, her gift is she can see the future. It's a bit subjective; the future can change depending on ones choices, after all."

I opened the door for her to sit in the driver's seat. I was sure I would get lost if I tried to drive back home. "And what about you?" I asked as I got into the passenger's seat. Now I was curious about what Bella could do. "What trait did you carry into this life?"

She turned the keys and started up the engine. "Mine is a bit stranger. As a human, my life wasn't going too well. Something… bad happened. It left my family less." Her eyes turned sad. "Nothing was going well. And all I had left was memories of a life that seemed so far away. I became dependant on those memories. I lived off them. It was actually very unhealthy."

Bella shook her head as if to clear her thoughts. "Anyway, my gift is I can now see other's memories. Everything they've ever lived through is opened up to me. All it takes is a single touch of their hand and I can see it all."

I paused, wondering if I wanted to know the answer to my question. "You've held my hand before. What did you see?"

"Nothing too strong," she admitted. "It's a rude thing to do, diving into a person's personal memories. It should be private. I try not to use my gift too often. But sometimes it can't be helped. I have learned how to block my power, I can successfully touch a person's flesh without being assaulted by visions of their past."

A blur of trees passed us by before she continued. "However… if the person in question is always remembering their past, dwelling upon memories, my control falters. Some people don't want to move forward, and then their past controls them. Much like my sister Rosalie. But that is a tale for another time as well. We're here."

I was startled to realize she was right. We were sitting outside my house. The lights were all on in my house. Bella turned off the car and jumped out. I brought her over to the tree in the front yard. We sat down, watching the sky fade to a bluish-black color.

"Do you need my car to get home?" I asked after a bit.

"No, my brother should be coming to pick me up soon. I'll just wait until he shows up. If you don't mind, of course."

"Of course I don't mind." I pulled her into my lap, laying my head into the hollow of her neck. "I'm becoming spoiled," I admitted. "I cringe at the thought of losing contact with your skin, Bella. Your touch is addictive." I shrugged sheepishly.

"Good addictive or bad addictive?" She joked, rubbing her icy cheek against my burning one. Bella tugged my arms around her flat stomach.

"Dangerously addictive," I honestly replied. "I know this can't be healthy, how much I want you. How much I need you. Heh." I brought a tiny hand to my lips, lavishing it with a kiss. "Oh, yes, do I need you. My own personal drug."

She seemed breathless at my touch. "Yes, a drug, that's perfect. It's a good thing that you can recognize to associate me with something deadly. So tell me Edward, exactly how much do you need me? How dependent are you upon my presence?" She teased, leaning her head backwards to stare at me upside down through her large, golden orbs.

"Are you a light alcoholic?" Bella stoked my cheek, causing me to intake suddenly. She smirked. "Perhaps a mild addiction to nicotine?" Her slender nose caressed my neck, sliding up and down painfully slow.

I released that breath suddenly to gain back the ability to speak. I pulled her slight body around so she turned on my lap to face me. Our noses centimeters from touching, I responded, "Do not insult yourself, my sweet siren. You are nothing less then heroine to me. I crave you to the point of dependence on you. And death is the result without you." I kissed her lips lightly, not wanting to startle her again. My lips tingled from the touch, as fleeting as it was. The fragrance of freesia flooded my brain. "Ah, yes. You are exactly my brand of heroine."

A beeping horn drew us out of the moment. A huge red Jeep Wrangler had pulled up to the curb. In the front seat, I recognized Emmett Cullen. His head was rested on the steering wheel, his fingers tapping, clearly in an annoyed gesture. He jerked his head, telling his sister to hurry up, obviously.

Bella sighed as she stood up. "That's my brother. So… I'll see you tomorrow?" She hopefully asked. Bella pulled a slip of paper from her skirt and put it into my shirt pocket. "That's directions to my house for you to pick me up. Is 11 o'clock okay?"

I smiled and nodded. "I'll be there."

"Good." She hopped on the tip of her toes before gracing my mouth with a chaste kiss. The horn beeped again, louder this time. "Coming Emmett." She waved and then hurried to her brother's vehicle. I watched her jump in gracefully in awe. "Night, Edward!" Bella called before Emmett raced off.

_A/n: That "Brand Of Heroine" quote was for Ana. Hope you liked the chapter. _

_And before you say Bella's power is exactly like Aro's, let me tell you something. Hers is a bit more limited. She can see everything, but she doesn't know your thoughts too, like Aro. And while his power inflicts a bit more pain, shuffling through your memories, she merely sees everything through the person's eyes. Like she _is_ the person. I picked this power because it is related to Aro's (like Edward's is) and it is the complete opposite of Alice's. I thought it seemed cute._


	11. Sister Complex

**Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Any Of The Twilight Series**

_A/n: Sorry to disappoint you all, but Ria is currently grounded from the computer. Instead, you must deal with me, Rio, aka MourningxRio. She has asked me to update this story since it's been so long. Now, I realize that the rest of this story is in Edward's point of view, hence this being a flipped version of Twilight. Forgive me, but this chapter shall be in Bella Cullen's point of view. I relate better to her then Edward. Sorry. If this is out of character for some of you, I apologize. Don't think too poorly of me._

_Side note! I had to ask my younger sister for help with Alice's closet. Who knew there were so many types of shoes…_

Step, step, step.

For what felt like the thousandth time this week, I was pacing the floor. It was a nervous habit I just couldn't bring myself to break. When I was nervous or overwhelmed, I had to be in constant motion. I had to keep myself preoccupied. Sometimes I walked only forward, eventually turning around to keep up with my walk, counting my steps. Other times I matched my pace to a song in my head. If I was particularly upset, I would walk backwards, diagonal, something more difficult that acquired my fully attention so as my mind wouldn't be able to dwell on other things.

Today, I was writing names with my steps with human paced speed.

Five steps to the left. Two steps forward. One step to the right. Now back a step. To right again. Forward one. Once again to the right a step. Now backwards three more.

"B" Start over.

A minute and a half later, I had spelled "Bella". Within the past hour and a half, I had spelled my parents' full names –birth and surrogate parent- , both my sister's, and both my brothers. Now I started with the "M" for my middle name. Still. As much as I didn't want to think, I couldn't help to. Angrily, I tuned out my thoughts, focusing only on printing my name in my footsteps.

As usual for my pacing, I was in the 2nd floor library. Emmett often joked that this was my real room. It was hard to argue there. I spent most of my time here. Not pacing most of the time, but instead reading. Carlisle often had to buy me new books due to my frequent reading. Once you had perfect memory, you couldn't read a book over again. And no amount of books could satisfy me. When you had all the time in the world, literally, it was difficult to find a task to keep yourself busy.

I paused, having finished my whole name now: Bella Marie Swan Cullen. I sighed, I should have placed Isabella and then Bella, seeing as it was my full name. Now, who next? Only one name popped to mind. I hissed. That was the one name I had been blocking myself from since last night. Surely there must be someone else I could come up with, right? I scanned my mind. No one stood out. I had never gotten close to anyone outside of my family before, so the many faces of those I met had slipped away. I had no choice. I walked back to the end of the room to start this new name.

Four steps backward. Two steps to the left. Two forward, then tracing those two steps back. Two more to the left. Then four forward.

"E". Next letter.

As I concentrated on spelling out his name, his face popped to mind. An oval-shaped face with pale skin, though not s pale as my own. Fair hair of a strange color. It was somewhere between tarnished gold and auburn. A radiant, almost bronze color. A thin nose directly in the center of his almond shaped eyes. A most intriguing shade of green, they were. Nearly teal. Emerald basically.

I stopped as the last "D" in his first name. Only for a second. Then I went into his middle name.

I couldn't say for sure why he seemed so special. He was handsome, yes, perhaps the most handsome man I had ever laid eyes on. But beauty was only superficial, after all. Having met the most despicable creatures who roamed the earth, each with faces of angels, I knew that all too well. Beauty was nothing. I had thought myself immune to pretty faces by now, judging a book by its cover, so to speak.

I shook my head as I finished the tail of the "Y" in Anthony. Last name now.

No, I shouldn't sell myself so short. Just because he was gorgeous on the outside, didn't mean his soul wasn't just as amazing. I had talked to him. Learned bits about him. He was a good person. Smart, funny, kind, sweet; I had yet to meet anyone, living or dead, who could be his equal. He was special.

I stopped yet again, having finished his whole name by now. Edward Anthony Masen. I shivered slightly. Even his _name_ gave me chills.

I sighed and fell to the floor.

Edward was special. So very special. And it scared me. He was so amazing. I knew he deserved a wonderful life, with a wonderful future, and a wonderful wife. And then he could go to a wonderful place in the sky. The place forever barred to me and my family. He deserved "wonderful" not "dreadful". Not me.

How could I be so stupid and selfish?

Why did I even entertain the thought that I could be around him? Every time I looked at him, my non-beating heart fluttered. I had to take many unnecessary breaths, feeling as though I was suffocating when I was near him. Like he "took my breath away", if you'll forgive the cliché. I knew from the beginning I could never be more then friends with Edward. Now it seemed I couldn't even stand to be friends with him.

The right door entrance of the library opened quietly with a creak. It was the first sound I had heard in hours. My own lithe steps had been too slight to hear. Vampire grace and all that. I watched expectantly as a face popped in.

"Hello, Jasper." I stood up and beckoned him in. My family always knew it best not to disturb me when I was in here. Either I was reading a new book or deep in thought. Both ways, I was in another world. "How can I help you?"

He walked into the door, followed by my other brother, Emmett. The two came to me, pulling me onto my reading sofa. Jasper sat beside me, Emmett plopped down to the floor in front me of. I shifted from looking at one then the other, expectantly, waiting for them to speak.

Jasper started after a bit. "How are you, Bella?"

I was a bit thrown off by his question. Couldn't he tell how I was feeling? I took a deep breath, locking away my feelings with a wave of indifference. "I'm fine. A little bored, but otherwise fine."

"Bella," Emmett spoke up now, "I don't have Jasper's power, and even I can see through that. You're so transparent. You're confused and scared. And we what you to talk to us. Let your big brothers help."

I smiled a tiny smile. "Since when are you Mr. Sentimental? It's that more Jasper's shtick?"

"We're both concerned about you, Bella," Emmett added quietly. "You're our baby sister, and you're not doing well. So let us help."

"Just talk to us."

I moaned. "I know you want to help, and I appreciate that, but… I can't. You both know what is going on. I… care for a human. If anything, this falls more in Alice and Rosalie's department as my older sisters."

Emmett took my tiny hands in his large ones. "You say you care for him. Bells, are you sure? Are you positive about your feelings for him?"

I nodded my head, feeling a bit embarrassed. I was talking relationships with my big brothers! But I knew they only wanted to help, so I answered them as honestly as I could. "I am positive that I like him. I've never felt anything even close to this for anyone other then my family. I truly care for him." I dropped my gaze. "Even if this can never be."

"How do you figure?"

I gawked at Emmett. "He's a human! I could… kill him." My tone shrunk immensely at the end of my sentence.

"We all were once." Jasper surprised me with him comment. "None of us have ever been in your position," he continued, "except perhaps Rosalie. But even then, Emmett was dying. Bella, none of us can tell you how to get though this. The choice is yours and yours alone. All we can do is support you. And that's exactly what we plan on doing."

A whirl of emotions stirred in me. I jumped at Jasper, wrapping my arms around him. "Why are you being so supportive, Jazz? I thought you didn't like Edward."

He pet the top of my head. "Of course I don't like him. Not only is my wife bent on being friendly with him, but now he's taking something else I hold dear: you. I would dislike any and every person who could take my little sister away."

I chuckled. "I think that's called a sister complex, Jasper."

"Hey, no love for me?" In a flash, Emmett had also joined us on the sofa, hugging both Jasper and I.

I wiggled my way out of the pile. "I want to thank you both. I feel much better now. Thanks." I leaned down and kissed both of my brothers on cheeks. "Now I should head upstairs. I'm sure Alice wants to poke and pluck me for a while before my date with Edward."

Emmett turned to Jasper. "Oh Jazz, our little sister is growing up! Before you know it, she'll be bra shopping and everything." I flicked my shoe at his head. He merely caught it and laughed again. "Okay, okay. You know I'm only joking." He turned serious then. "But I guess it is only a matter of time before we're attending your wedding."

I rolled my eyes. "Not for a while, Em. I expect to be the flower girl at your wedding two more times before starring in my own. Bye boys." I shut the door behind me.

Alice skipped out to meet me as soon as I cleared the third floor landing. "Bella! Come on! I've got the straightener warming up right now." And with that she dragged me into her room.

Like every time I enter my pixie sister's room, I had to shield my eyes. I was assaulted by the color pink. Everywhere, pink. Her bedspread, carpet, desk, chair, TV, dresser, curtains: all pink. It was no wonder Jasper opted to claim the computer office as his true room. He didn't have the heart to ask Alice to take down the pink nor the nerves to stay in this room.

Alice paused with a wild smile in front of her closet. She gestured for me to open it. I did so reluctantly.

Alice's closet was a fashion lovers dream. Every style, cut, and color blouse imaginable. Skirt of varying length followed by jeans, pants, capris, shorts, and even overalls along one wall. And then her shoes. Wow. It seemed like she had a different pair of shoes from every day for 50 years! Heels, pumps, saddle shoes, sneakers, sandals, flip flops, boots, tennis shoes, and many more. And, of course, every item of clothing was of impeccable taste.

"Okay." Alice was digging through her racks of tops now. "I'm thinking we go with a turquoise tank top today. It's flirty and cute. And with the right push up-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Calm down Alice. I'm going for something more casual." Alice gasped like I had just announced her dog had been hit by a truck. "It's our first real date. I don't want to go over the top."

"But-but!" Then she used the face. Her 'but-that-would-make-me-sad' face. And as usual, I caved instantly.

I threw my hands up in the air. "Aw, come on, Alice. I don't want to be too dressed up. Can you try not to force me into a dress, skirt, heels, tube top, or any variation of those?"

She waited for a second. "I think I can work with those restrictions." So I settled myself down for the tornado that was my sister.

Half an hour later, Alice put down the straightener. "There. All done. And, if I may say so, you are a knock out!"

I pushed her lightly, laughing. "What would I do without my little beautician?"

She crossed her arms. "Wear jeans and t-shirts all the time. I shudder at the thought." She pulled me out of the chair I had been sitting in to face her full length mirror. "Edward doesn't stand a chance." I gave myself a once over.

Alice had gotten me into a pair of nice, white jeans that I hadn't even known she bought for me and a sapphire long sleeved top. Nicer then something I would wear to school but not so dressed up that I could complain. With my hair straightened, it hung to my waist, now loose. I slipped into a pair of comfortable flats. There. Now I was ready.

I spun on the spot for Alice. She clapped enthusiastically, getting Rosalie's attention. My blonde sister beamed as she looked at me.

"Aw, look at you, Bella." Rosalie pulled me into a hug. "You look beautiful."

I drew back. "Okay, who are you and what have to you done with Rosalie Hale? Rosalie usually has nothing nice to say about anything, least of all me."

Rose combed her fingers through my hair. "Save the sarcasm, sister. I'm being sincere over here." She hugged me again. "Just make sure you know what you're doing, Bella. Be smart. And don't get yourself in a stupid situation."

I nodded solemnly.

The bell rang then.

Alice started to jump into the air. "He's here, he's here!" She raced down the stairs in the blink of a human eye. I took a deep breath before following.

Both my brothers and Alice were waiting at the foot of the stairs. And in the middle of them was Edward. He looked amazing in a white shirt and jeans, a smile spreading over his face as I came down. My stomach twisted in knots.

"Hi," I whispered when I reached him.

"Hey yourself." He hands locked with mine.

"Bye everyone." I waved to my siblings, giving Jasper a slight nod. He returned it, sending a calming wave to me. Then I let Edward lead me out the door.


	12. Hiatus

_A/n: I am sorry, greatly, but this story is now on hiatus. I may return, but it will have to be a while. Not only am I falling behind in school, undergoing my parent's divorce, and in a relationship, but I've forgotten where I was going with all of my stories! Agh!_

_**If you would like to continue one of my stories, however, I'd be more then happy to hand it over. Send me a PM about it.**_

_I may be posting small fictions or oneshots every once and a while on my boyfriend's -_MourningxRio_- page. So add him as a favorite author and keep a look out. Also, check out his story, Tears Of Blood! It's amazing, though I may be a little bias. Heh heh._

_Again, I am truly sorry._

_-Ria_


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